Amurca

Amurca is the bitter tasting, dark watery liquid which flows from pressed olives under light pressure, prior to the olive oil which only drains under greater pressure. Historically, amurca was used for numerous purposes, [cite book |title= The Natural History of Pliny: Amurca of Olives - Twenty-one Remedies |last= Pliny|first= John Bostock|authorlink= |coauthors=Riley, H. T.|year= 1856|publisher= |location= |isbn= |pages= 486] including as a building material, pesticide [http://www.plantanswers.com/garden_column/march04/4.htm Ancient and Modern Day Pest Control] ] , herbicide, and even as an astringent, which was called by the same name. Firewood treated with amurca burns smokelessly [ [https://listhost.uchicago.edu/pipermail/ane/2002-March/001133.html John N. Lupia in discussion with David Hall] ] .

References

External links

* [http://essenes.net/new/catoamurca.html Uses for Amurca]
* [http://www.pacificsunoliveoil.com/ancient_uses.html More information on ancient uses]
* [http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Cato/De_Agricultura/F*.html Marcus Cato on Agriculture]
* [http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/secondary/SMIGRA*/Olea.html Olives in Antiquity (Smith's Dictionary, 1875)]
* [http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/history/lecture18/r_18-1.html Forerunners of Pesticides in Classical Greece and Rome]