Glossary entry

German term or phrase:

Baumkelter

English translation:

beam press/lever and screw press

Added to glossary by Languageman
Jan 28, 2007 23:33
17 yrs ago
1 viewer *
German term

Baumkelter

German to English Science Archaeology Roman winemaking
From the guidebook to an open-air museum in the Palatinate that features a partially reconstructed Roman villa and grape-pressing house. The text is aimed at general tourists, who may only speak English as a second language.

The context:
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Bei der Kelter handelte es sich vermutlich um eine Baumkelter. Die beiden heute das Dach des Schutzbaues über der Kelteranlage tragenden Säulen lagen bei ihrer Auffindung parallel vor dem westlichen Becken. Sie waren in römischer Zeit als Unterlage für den Kelterbaum verwendet worden.
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A definition:
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Auch Torkel oder Torggel genannt. Bei der Baumkelter handelt es sich um eine der ältesten Keltern überhaupt. Sie ist schon von den Römern benutzt worden. Zur Zeit der Römer wurden die Trauben mit den Füßen zerstampft und wurden dann zum Auspressen in die Kelter gegeben. Die Baumkelter ist sehr groß und wurde deshalb meist im Freien oder in einem speziellen Schuppen aufgestellt.
http://www.ps-wein.de/wein_info/weinwissen/B/baumkelter.htm
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A picture:
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http://www.venantes.de/ws/dazumal/baumkelter.jpg
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It is important to the author that this term is translated as accurately as possible. Ideally, of course, this would be a readily understandable term in English. Does an equivalent exist? It seems a bit of a tall order since I imagine most Germans reading the original wouldn't know exactly what a Kelterbaum looked like either!

If there is no equivalent then a concise phrase can be substituted, or a combination of the German term with a short description of what is referred to specifically in this case.

Thanks in advance for your knowledgeable and/or creative suggestions.

Stephen

Discussion

Languageman (asker) Feb 28, 2007:
An update I had the chance to talk to author last week, who said that "beam press" was definitely best here. He said it might have been a lever-and-screw design, but they couldn't be sure. They might equally well have just used the weight of the beam, or some other method of pulling down the beam. Apparently torcula isn't right here, as that was a completely different type of device.
Languageman (asker) Jan 29, 2007:
Additional info. Just found an interesting reference relating to Roman olive oil making http://www.pacificsunoliveoil.com/ancient_presses.html. This uses "Torcular", similar to the "Torculum" mentioned by Kim.
Languageman (asker) Jan 29, 2007:
@Francis No problem, thanks for your info. This is definitely referring to the whole press, but that helps confirm what is referred to.
Francis Lee (X) Jan 29, 2007:
My 1899 Thieme-Preusser gives "cross-bar of a wine-press" for Kelterbaum. Is that helpful? Thanks for the exemplary context (again)!

Proposed translations

32 mins
Selected

beam press

I'll pitch this at CL2 because Kim's research is usually reliable. However, it's worth entering as an alternative since your context says nothing about 'screws'. This answer is based on the cognates 'Baum>beam" rather than the dictionary definition 'Baum = tree'.
I'll leave you to google it more thoroughly yourself, Stephen.
http://www.classicalwines.com/bodegas/alenza.htm
Note from asker:
Thanks for the help, this sounds like a good option. Spoiled for choice now!
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "One of those occasions where I would have liked to split the points. I went for this purely as to me it was more descriptive of the massive piece of wood used, which I think is the main point. I did however use this more in the way of a description of 'torcular', which I used in the rest of the text (thanks to Kim there)."
22 mins

lever and screw press

I based my search on the "hölzerne Hebelpressen" in the description below. Hebel = lever. Your photo seems to indicate screws were used.

Doch bereits bei den Römern kamen hölzerne Hebelpressen zum Einsatz, sogenannte Kelterbäume oder Baumkeltern. Nördlich der Alpen wurde diese Technik vermutlich direkt von den Römern übernommen; möglich ist jedoch auch eine Wiederbelebung des Kelterbaumes im Rahmen der frühmittelalterlichen Klosterkultur. Die Tatsache, dass viele Bauteile einer Baumkelter lateinische Bezeichnungen tragen, lässt keinen Schluss über deren zeitliche Übernahme im südwestdeutschen Raum zu.
Solche Keltern wurden zum Teil bis in die 1960er Jahre benutzt. In den Kelterhäusern waren zumeist mehrere Kelterbäume untergebracht. Während die ersten mechanischen Keltern den zum Pressen nötigen Druck mit Hilfe einer Spindel erzeugten (siehe auch Spindelpresse), funktionieren moderne Keltermaschinen mit Druckluft und automatischer Steuerung.

http://www.blinkbits.com/de_wikifeeds/Torggl

In the first century AD two different types of wine press were known in Italy: the traditional lever press (named the "Cato press" after the agronomist Cato the Elder who studied its operation) and the new lever and screw press, which was added with a screw ensuring better pressing, even in smaller presses. The most widespread press used in Vesuvian farms was the lever one, requiring a number of fixed structures (pits, trapdoors and tunnels) in which the mobile wooden equipment was set. Strong pressure required blocking of the press components: the two upright front elements (stipites) to which a winch (sucula) was linked for winding the rope lowering the end of the prelurn and the upright rear element (arbor) to which the other end of the prelum was connected. The weight of the prelum and the operation of the sucula caused it to be gradually lowered onto the heap of marcs gathered in a wooden crate below. A trapdoor close to the arbor and the one close to the stipites allowed access to the underground and anchoring the wooden parts to the ground.

http://www.pompeii-restaurant.com/boscoreale_country_house.a...


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Note added at 4 hrs (2007-01-29 04:16:22 GMT)
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I found some more info, including a nice photo. I don't know if torculum would be a good translation because it doesn't seem to be very common.

Informationen über Baumkelter
Auch Torkel oder Torggel genannt. Bei der Baumkelter handelt es sich um eine der ältesten Keltern überhaupt. Sie ist schon von den Römern benutzt worden. Zur Zeit der Römer wurden die Trauben mit den Füßen zerstampft und wurden dann zum Auspressen in die Kelter gegeben. Die Baumkelter ist sehr groß und wurde deshalb meist im Freien oder in einem speziellen Schuppen aufgestellt.

http://www.ps-wein.de/wein_info/weinwissen/B/baumkelter.htm

Presses that were occasionally used along the Adriatic coast and in its hinterland operated on the principle of direct pressure by means of one or two wooden vertical screws. The type of press whose massive horizontal beam serves the purpose of a lever spread in northern parts of Croatia is considered to be a Central European import. Simple application of the lever principle at pressing was known already back in ancient Greece. Romans took over their press types and furtherly advanced them. The type shown on the photograph was described already by Heron. In Rome, it was well-known already in the year 25 BC, under the name of "Greek press" (torculum graecanicum).

photo

http://www.mdc.hr/etno/eng/6-9-gospodarstvo/6-9gospodarstvo-...
Note from asker:
Thanks for all the info Kim. I think even torculum could work with a word or two of explanation, there are quite a lot of Latin terms dotted throughout the text.
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