AUTHEPSA
AUTHEPSA (
αὐθέψης), or
“self-boiler,” was a vessel used for heating water or
keeping it hot. As is well known, both hot and cold water were served by the
attendants at well-appointed Roman tables (
calidae
gelidaeque minister,
Juv. 5.63, with Mayor's note). For this purpose
vessels were used which cannot have differed much in construction from our
modern tea-urns (Böttiger,
Sabina,
2.30), and like them might be made of costly materials and in artistic
designs (
authepsa illa, quam tanto pretio nuper mercatus
est, Cic.
pro Rose. Amer. 46.133;
authepsas argenteas, Lamprid.
Heliog. 19). Many ingenious contrivances for economical and
portable cooking have been found at Pompeii and Herculaneum, and are now in
the Museo
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Authepsa. (From the Naples Museum.)
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Nazionale (formerly Borbonico) at Naples. It is probable, however, that the
authepsa, unlike the
aënum and
caccabus, was not used for cooking;
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Authepsa. (From the Naples Museum.)
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and it is rather to be identified with a utensil from the same
collection (
Mus. Borbon. vol. iii. pl. 63) in the first cut
above. This vessel is in bronze, and of very tasteful workmanship: the
cylinder in the centre was filled with charcoal, and has a grating which
allowed the air to enter and the ashes to escape. The second cut, from
Mus. Borbon. vol. v. pl. 44, shows another of more
elaborate construction. The Russian samovar is likewise explained to mean
“self-boiler,” and appears to be little different from the
authepsa.
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