43 men that could have picked broad beans this morning

Broad Beans rank amongst the most ancient plants in cultivation and also among the easiest to grow. It is very hardy plant and immensely popular in Malta, were Broad bean plants are grown in many private Maltese allotments surrounding the villages. Greeks, Romans, Arabs or Phoenicians? It’s not clear which people might have brought the Fava beans to Malta. Pausanias describes where the Fava beans might have come from.

Pausanias, a Greek about 120–180 EC, who traveled widely in the middle East and also in Greece and Italy. Pausanias mentions in his topographical guidebook of Attica, the Peloponnese, and central Greece the following:
“On the road [to Eleusis near the River Kephissos (Cephissus) in Attika] stands a small temple called that of Kyamites (Cyamites). I cannot state for certain whether he was the first to sow beans, or whether they gave this name to a hero because they may not attribute to Demeter the discovery of beans. Whoever has been initiated at Eleusis or has read what are called the Orphica knows what I mean.”

43 photographs, 10×18 cm, framed. Edition 3

The idea to photograph men in the streets in Xaghra on Gozo, Malta’s sister island, who could have picked broad beans that morning was born from our intensive observations. For five weeks we checked the day to day coming and going at the square in the front of Maria Bambini, the Parish church of Xaghra. And Although there was a vegetable stall, were broad beans were sold, we did not see any of the men buying broad beans there. So we concluded that the men in Xaghra must have already harvested broad beans from their allotments earlier that morning. 43 men who could have pricked broad bean this morning” is a set of 43 digital images edition 3