[Regia-NA] Roman Gardens and their Plants Book / Inked tablets and Waxed Tablets

[rmhowe]

I hadn't realized when I bought this this month for the wife who loves
gardens that it was not for sale over here in the States. She likes 
it immensely. There are short colour illustrations and descriptions
of many of the plants listed in it. Since you might not hear
of it elsewise here is the information:

Since gobs of you strange people are gardeners and cooks I thought
it might be of interest to you, as likely the Romans took
many of these same plants with them to their provinces.

Ryley, Claire: Roman Gardens and their Plants; 1998, Sussex 
Archaeological Society; 56pp., 62 colour illustrations, 
240mm x 170mm, ISBN 0904973166 (pb). 
"Here is a new and exciting look at Roman gardens and their plants. 
Claire Ryley has painted the broad picture of what is known of 
Roman Horticulture in the Western Empire. Not only does she expound
the principles that were followed by the Romans in designing their 
gardens for produce and pleasure, but she also describes more	
than 100 of the plants they are known to have cultivated. Further, 
the book includes a list of around 300 plants used in Roman gardens." 
£4.95 (with postage about $10. from http://www.vindolanda.com/) 
or £8.99 plus postage from http://www.amazon.co.uk/ special ordered.

Searching Bookfinder.com which does most English speaking booksearch
engines turned up nothing and then I tried amazon.co.uk to find 
out it was a special order only from the Sussex Archaeological folks. 
I was entering it into my books lists and needed some additional
information since I quote books on various subjects and hate incomplete
references. 

I bought it from the nice folks at the Roman Vindolanda Fortress
just south of Hadrians Wall. It was occupied until AD 350-400.
It is cheaper, faster, and more likely to support further 
excavation and research buying it from them. Like York (Viking 
Jorvik) they have a large number of publications in their series, 
some of which are currently available. One concerns locks. 
This is one of the few places where ink tablets and wax tablets 
survive in large numbers and you see individual's daily lives 
in the deciphered bits. The hand writing style is much different than
the monumental script we associate with the Romans now. At the
time many of the books I am reading were written there were
more than 1900 little tablets (mostly portions of them) found.
Wax tablets comprised about 20% and there are Roman ink pens made
out of iron nibs and sticks as well as stylus types for writing in wax. 
For these see:

Birley, Robin: Roman Records  from Vindolanda on Hadrian’s Wall; 
New Edition 1999. First published 1990; 2nd edition, revised and 
enlarged, 1994, Third Edition, brought up to date and enlarged 1999. 
82pp, 43 b/w illustrations,  210mm x 150mm 8to.  
ISBN 1873136919 (pb). Published by Roman Army Museum Publications, 
Carvoran, Greenhead, Via Carlisle CA6 7JB, U.K. £ 4.95 with shipping
$10. 

Master Magnus Malleus, OL, GDH, Atlantia © 2002 R.M. Howe
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