Footnotes to a Conversation, November 22, 2021

Bling for Kings

I fell in love with Roman glass when I first visited the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. But glass dates far further back in time than the Roman Empire. New archaeological surveys and scientific techniques tell us where and how Bronze Age glass was made, how it formed the basis for trade between countries in the Near East, and who benefitted.

“Unlike today, glass of those times was often opaque and saturated with color, and the source of the silica was crushed quartz pebbles, not sand. Clever ancients figured out how to lower the melting temperature of the crushed quartz to what could be reached in Bronze Age furnaces: They used the ash of desert plants, which contain high levels of salts such as sodium carbonate or bicarbonates. The plants also contain lime — calcium oxide — that made the glass more stable. Ancient glassmakers also added materials that impart color to glass, such as cobalt for dark blue, or lead antimonate for yellow. The ingredients melded in the melt, contributing chemical clues that researchers look for today.” [Knowable Magazine]

In conjunction with an exhibit of snuff boxes, the Victoria & Albert Museum has published a long article on the purpose, meaning, and creation of these tiny boxes. “Gold boxes were among the supreme luxuries of 18th-century Europe … For those first encountering these boxes, the variety of forms and decoration, and also the materials used alongside gold – from porcelain to precious stones, enamel and mother-of-pearl – are surprising.” Frederick the Great had an extensive collection commissioned in part to support local craftsmanship. “Playful and precious in equal measure they are set with a multitude of diamonds which sparkle in various colours, thanks to coloured metal foils set underneath … Camels, with their careful even walk, were employed to move these fragile marvels from the king’s residence in Berlin to his palaces in Potsdam.” [Victoria & Albert]

A World of Food

I like plenty of variety in what I eat – but not at breakfast. Breakfast is muesli with yogurt, fruit, and nuts. The fruit and nuts may vary but not a great deal. After reading a review of Breakfast: The Cookbook by Emily Elyse Miller, I’ve been wondering if it was time for me to break out of my rut – at least once in a while. The cookbook contains 380 recipes compiled from around the world. There is carrot cake from Singapore (that is actually made with radishes, not carrots), dried fish and chocolate-flavoured rice from the Philippines, and a gelato sandwich from Sicily. How’s that for variety! [Atlas Obscura]

“Cactus is to Mexicans what okra is to Southerners: home and culture in a plant loved by us and looked down upon by most other Americans … The two vegetables are far apart botanically, yet they share many similarities. Both are nutrient-dense; high in fiber and antioxidants. Both can be mucilaginous—the fancy way of saying “slimy.” Both grow abundantly and feature a bright green color that exemplifies nature at its most healing.” [Gravy]

Footnotes to a Conversation is a weekly Monday feature covering an assortment of topics that I’ve come across in the preceding week – books, art, travel, food, and whatever else strikes my fancy.

If you share my love of nature, I suggest you also read EcoFriendly Sask that I publish in collaboration with my brother, Andrew. Check out EcoFriendly Sask’s Nature Companion, a free nature app for Canada’s four western provinces.