Fork
Fork or furcula (Lat. furcula) — a metal flatware with several prongs. In antiquity,they were made of iron or precious alloys — copper,silver or gold. Archaeologists have also found ornate forks,sometimes folding.
A copper Roman fork. 12. 1x2. 1x0. 9 cm. Metropolitan Museum of Art,New York. No. 47.107.1 from the Rogers Foundation. 1st-4th century AD
Bronze fork. Rome.. Length-14.9 cm. Walters Museum of Art,Baltimore. # 54.1447. 2nd-4th century AD
Silver Roman fork-spoon. Length-16.2 cm. Metropolitan Museum of Art,New York. No. 2006.514.3. 3rd century ADThe most elaborate and elaborately decorated antique forks belong to the Roman civilization. In those days,folding mechanisms that combined spoons,forks and other tools for eating were widespread.
Roman folding "multi-tool",silver. Includes fork,spoon,knife and other tools. Fitzwilliam Museum,Cambridge. UK. 2-3 century AD
Roman folding "multi-tool",silver. Includes fork,spoon,knife and other tools. Fitzwilliam Museum,Cambridge. UK. 2-3 century AD
Roman folding "multi-tool",silver. Includes fork,spoon,knife and other tools. Fitzwilliam Museum,Cambridge. UK. 2-3 century ADPlace among Tableware
The ancient fork was not as universal as the modern table fork. More often it helped hold, lift or divide food, while hands, knife and spoon remained basic tools. Fork finds are therefore especially interesting: they show not a universal norm, but specific practices of eating, serving and status.
Folding Sets
Folding utensils are convenient on the road and on campaign. They combine several functions in one object and save space in personal baggage. For reenactment they matter because they show a high craft level: hinge, rivet, prongs and blade must work, not merely look decorative.
Related topics
Ancient military campaigns,Spoon,Culter
Literature
1. H. Cool. Eating and Drinking in Roman Britain. 2. A. Croom. Roman Furniture and Household Objects. 3. J. P. Oleson. The Oxford Handbook of Engineering and Technology in the Classical World.
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