Item number: A131

Year: AD 1800s

Material: Glass

Size: 210 x 70 x 60 / 210 x 74 x 70 mm

Weight: 634.6 / 606.55 g

Manufactured by: Germany, Hamburg

Provenance: Private Collector, Germany, 2023

This object, dating back to the AD 1800s, was extensively produced by the German distillery J. J. W. Peters. It was one of the numerous economically manufactured blown glass bottles containing gin. The bottle’s shape facilitated easy packaging and transportation. In addition to textiles, rifles, and gunpowder, gin packaged in these bottles remained one of the most popular European commodities in Africa. This was especially true for coastal traders who played a crucial intermediary role in the transatlantic slave trade.

The bottle features the full name of the company, “J. J. W. Peters,” on one side of its green body, on the other side is the trademark of a hunting dog holding a small bird in its mouth.

Gin also served as a denomination of currency: it could be valued either by the crate or as individual bottles. In certain regions of Africa during that time, the use of gin as currency was almost essential for purchasing various goods. Two prominent brands circulating along the West African coast at that time were J. J. W. Peters and Van Hoytema & Co.

According to Mary H. Kingsley, a British female ethnographer, scientific writer, and explorer active in the late 19th century, her records from travels in West Africa state: “They prefer using spirits as a medium of exchange because they can obtain the highest profits from it, and the losses incurred in handling spirits are lower compared to items like tobacco and fabrics, which are more susceptible to damage from humidity.”

Due to the widespread use of trade gin as a medium of exchange, colonial authorities also embraced and, in some instances, actively promoted this custom. In addition to its use in the so-called “informal” economy, there are numerous records indicating that gin was used to pay fines to the government. Similar objects can be observed in the collection at the University of Cambridge Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology today.

物件編號: A131

年代: 公元 1800 年代

材料: 玻璃

尺寸: 210 x 70 x 60 / 210 x 74 x 70 mm

重量: 634.6 / 606.55 g

製造地: 德國 漢堡

來源: 德國 私人收藏 2023

此物件為公元1800年代之際，德國酒廠 J. J. W. Peters.大量製造許多裝有琴酒的廉價吹製玻璃瓶，因其形狀使得包裝和運輸變得輕鬆。除了紡織品、步槍和火藥之外，以這種瓶子裝的琴酒在非洲大陸一直是最受歡迎的歐洲商品之一，特別是對在跨大西洋奴隸貿易中扮演著重要中介角色的沿海商人們。

該瓶子在綠色瓶身兩側，分別印有公司全名「J. J. W. Peters」和嘴裡銜著小鳥的獵犬商標。

琴酒也被作為一種有面額的貨幣單位: 除了能以一箱計價，也可以分成單獨的瓶子。甚至當時在非洲的某些地區，如不以琴酒作為貨幣，則幾乎不能購買任何種類的商品，而其中 J. J. W. Peters. 和 Van Hoytema & Co. 爲當時流通於非洲西海岸的兩個主要貿易琴酒品牌。

根據瑪麗·金斯利(Mary H. Kingsley)，這名活躍於公元19世紀下半葉的英國女性民族誌學家、科學作家和探險家，在西非旅行寫下的紀錄:「他們更喜歡使用烈酒作為購買媒介，因為他們從中獲得的利潤最高，並且處理烈酒時造成的損失比例較低。 不會像煙草和布料那樣輕易被潮濕損壞。」

由於貿易琴酒作為交易媒介的普遍性，因此殖民當局也接受了它，甚至鼓勵了這種做法。 除了在所謂的「非正式」經濟中使用之外，還有許多記載表明著琴酒被用來支付罰款給政府。在今日的劍橋大學考古與人類學博物館中也能看到與此收藏幾乎相同的物件展示。