Exposé de Matthew Adam Cobb (University of Wales Trinity Saint David) dans le cadre du colloque "Le poivre, de l’Antiquité à l’époque moderne: un luxe populaire ?"
“Haute cuisine” or staple fare? Black Pepper’s Role as a Status Marker in the Roman World
In the past few decades the notion that Indian Ocean imports largely consisted of luxuries for small groups of elites within the Roman Empire has been challenged. In particular, spices and aromatics, like black pepper and incense, have been singled out as examples of widely consumed commodities that were integral to many aspects of social life. By and large, written evidence and archaeobotanical finds of peppercorns confirm this products’ wide availability and its comparative affordability. Black pepper was clearly not restricted to the elite. This then raises the question, did black pepper lose its status as a marker of distinction?
In attempting to address this question, it is important to acknowledge the difficulties faced in defining the status of a commodity. Fixed labels can often be problematic since goods only acquire meaning in the social contexts in which they are used, and the subjective and multifaceted ways in which they might be interpreted. Nevertheless, perceptions can be commonly held, and collectively groups can invest a good with meaning (albeit this is fluid and may shift over time). With these caveats in mind, it is argued here that in certain contexts black pepper could be used in acts of conspicuous consumption. Its Indian origin continued to imbue it with a sense of the exotic, and its price (during the Principate and Dominate), while affordable for many, was sufficiently high to make it not regularly purchased by those in the lowest spectrums of society. These factors made it the ideal commodity for aspirant individuals of “middling” status to distinguish themselves.
Structure:
Introduction
Section 1: a review of the debate as to whether black pepper should be classed as a luxury or non-luxury item.
Section 2: the challenges of defining status, and whether black pepper constitutes a “luxury” item.
Section 3: the difficulties of determining living standards and the feasibility of the widespread consumption of black pepper.
Section 4: Black pepper as the ideal social marker for non-elites
Conclusion
Catégories: Le poivre, de l’Antiquité à l’époque moderne
Mot-clés : économie, luxe, Portugal, commerce, poivre, condiment, épice, marchandise
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Dernière mise à jour : 13/02/2018
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