Sergius Orata
Gaius Sergius Orata(fl.c. 95 BC) was an Ancient Roman who was a successful merchant, inventor and hydraulic engineer. He is credited with inventing thecultivation of oystersand refinement to thehypocaustmethod of heating a building to provide, in addition, heated water for bathing.
Origins of his name
[edit]The writerFestusnoted "TheOrata",the gilt headed bream," is a kind of fish so called for its golden color (aurata,"golden," also spelledorata). "..." Because of this, it's said about the very wealthy Sergius that they called himorata,because he wore two big rings of gold. Some authorities assert that his nickname just comes from the commercialization of those fishes. "[1]
Biography
[edit]Sergius was well known to his contemporaries for the breeding and commercialization ofoysters,of which he was a noted innovator.[1]Orata wanted to take advantage of the wealthy Romans' liking for shellfish as food, so he developed many new techniques for breeding oysters. This included the practice of surrounding mature oysters with twigs, to which their young (known as "spats" ) could affix themselves and thus be easily transplanted wherever desired.[2]This allowed for the creation of artificial oyster beds, which he surrounded with channels and dams in order to protect them from thesea tides.
He based his business at theLucrine LakeinCampania,[1]which was adjacent to the luxurious and popular spa town ofBaiae.This brought him into conflict with the local Romantax farmerConsidius, in a dispute over his use of the public resource of the lakefront for his business. Consilius was successfully defended in the legal case by the oratorCrassus.
Orata was also a significant developer and builder of luxury villas in the area, Crassus made a joke based on the common use ofterra cotta tilesboth as surfaces for artificial oyster beds and also in the roofs of structures, saying that "even if Orata were deprived of the waters of the lake, he would still find oysters on his roof-tiles".[3][4]
Orata was also credited by the writerVitruviuswith the invention of thehypocaust(underfloor heating),[5]although this is not fully established.[6]What is certain is that he invented a new type of "hanging baths "("bal(i)nea pensilia"),[7]which were a kind of relaxing thermal spa baths; that are usually considered to be related to hypocausts.[5]He commercialized them as he had his oyster business. He claimed healing and soothing properties for the invention and this helped Orata to market it successfully. They became fashionable among the wealthy and no luxury villa was considered complete unless one of Orata's pools was installed.
Sergius Orata became rich due to his inventions; he was himself noted for his love for luxury and refinement.[1]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^abcdSmith, William."ORATA or AURA'TA, C. SE'RGIUS".p. 40. Archived fromthe originalon 2012-10-28.Retrieved2013-04-16.
- ^Jacobsen, Rowan (September 2010).A Geography of Oysters.Bloomsbury Publishing Plc. p. How to Grow an Oyster.ISBN9781596915480.
- ^Marzano, Annalisa (August 2013).Harvesting the Sea:The Exploitation of Marine Resources in the Roman Mediterranean.Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. pp. 183–187.ISBN9780199675623.
- ^Maximus, Valerius (2004).Memorable Deeds and Sayings: One Thousand Tales from Ancient Rome.Indianapolis, IN: Hackett Publishing. p. 308.ISBN0872206750.
- ^abSmith, William."About Roman baths".pp. 185–186.Retrieved2013-04-16.
- ^Fagan, Garret G. (1996). "Sergius Orata: Inventor of the Hypocaust?".Phoenix.50(1). Classical Association of Canada: 56–66.doi:10.2307/1192681.JSTOR1192681.
- ^Karl Friedrich Kempf's edition has it with an extra i, which would also make more sense given the Greek source.
Bibliography
[edit]- Smith, William(1849).Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology.Vol. 3. C. C. Little and J. Brown; [etc., etc. ]. pp. 40, 185–186.LCCN07038839.
- Holland, Tom. (2003).Rubicon.Doubleday.ISBN9780385503136.