the attic stelai - The American School of Classical Studies at Athens

THE ATTIC STELAI 187
not compete with grains which were hardy enough to withstand the winter, and it
never attained more than the position of a secondary crop.6' For ancient references,
see Orth, R.E., s.v. Hirse.
Prices. The maximum price of ieline in the Edict of Diocletian was fixed at 50
denarii for one castrensis modius (150 denarii a medimnos).62
9. ohvog (I, 114, 117-121; VI, 60-61, 64-65). Wine. Viticulture in antiquity is
discussed in an excellent article by Jarde in Daremberg-Saglio, Dictionnaire, s.v.
Vinun.63 In addition to the casual remarks of Theophrastos in his two treatises, we
know the names of many authors who published special works on viticulture.64 Most
instructive are the preserved leases of vineyards which enumerate various terms which
the lessor had to carry out.65 In Book I of the Deipnosophistcai, Athenaeus has given
a lengthy catalogue of different vintages of wine: 66 the pleasantest of the Greek wines
was the Chian; " among the poorest the Corinthian, which Alexis had termed 'torture.'
68 Athenaeus speaks of some wine as sixteen years old,69 and gives the usual
dilution as half and half.70 Although wine was one of the most important products
of Attica, many better sorts were imported from various places abroad.7
For the prices of oinos, see below, pp. 199-203.
10. 6'eoa (I, 113, 115, 116, 122; II, 117).72 Vinegar. The word oros was used
by the ancients for vinegar and for a sour wine of inferior quality.73 Various types of
61 See N. Jasny, op. cit., p. 16.
62 Col. I, 6.
63
Cf. also his article Vinitor.
64
See E. Oder in F. Susemihl, Geschichte der griechischen Litteratutr in Alexandrinazeit, I,
Leipzig, 1891, pp. 839 if. For Roman treatises on viticulture, see R. Billiard, La vigne dans
l'antiquite, Lyon, 1913, pp. 156 ff.
65 Syll.3, 963 and I.G., I12, 2492. M. Rostovtzeff (Soc. and Ec. Hist. of Hell. World, II, p. 1188)
observes that these leases have not been studied in connection with ancient agronomists for the
information they contain concerning viticulture. Mention might also be made of the interesting
Thasian laws, directed against speculation in wine, published by G. Daux in B.C.H., L, 1926, pp.
214 ff.
66 25 f fif.
67 I, 32 f.
88 I, 30 f.
69
XII, 584 b.
70 X, 426 b.
71 Chios, Thasos, Pramnos, etc. See the references in Ehrenberg, People of Aristophanes2,
p. 136, note 5. Imported wine jars of the second half of the fifth century, found in Athens, include
(e. g.) amphoras from Chios (Hesperia, III, 1934, fig. 1, no. 1; XXII, 1953, p. 104, nos. 150-152
and pl. 39); from Mende (Hesperia, IV, 1935, p. 496, fig. 17, no. 88; XXII, 1953, p. 106, no. 161
and p. 103, fig. 5); and from Thasos (A.J.A., L, 1946, p. 34, fig. 3, no. 3).
72 For the etymology of the word, see Buck, Dictionary, p. 383.
73 See Saglio in Daremberg-Saglio, Dictionnaire, s.v. Acetumt; and Stadler, R.E., s.v. Essig.
The comic poet Alexis (frag. 285: Kock, C.A.F., II, p. 400) humorously referred to the notoriously
sour Decelean wine as oxos.