In Kazantzakis’ The Last Temptation of Christ there are references to corn (Judas eating a cob, fields of it etc.). In Robert Graves’ I, Claudius books there are references to corn (the corn supply from Egypt being valuable). I had always been told corn was native to the New World (we all remember the story about the stupid pilgrims who didn’t know to put the seed in the ground, right?), so here’s my question: What up? Here is a more detailed question: Did they have corn in the Old World before colonial times?
I know both of my references are fictional works, but out of respect for Kazantzakis I am unwilling to just assume he didn’t know what he was talking about.
Corn meant wheat, rye, oats, or barley, etc.
Still does in the UK.
Only Americans use corn to mean just maize.
see brittanica.com
http://www.britannica.com/bcom/eb/article/1/0,5716,26741+1+26316,00.html?query=corn
Corn (Zea mays)
also called INDIAN CORN, OR MAIZE (Zea mays), in agriculture, cereal plant of the tribe Maydeae of the grass family Gramineae (Poaceae), originating in the Americas, and its edible grain.
Since its introduction into Europe by Columbus and other explorers, corn has spread to all areas of the world suitable to its cultivation. Indians in the Americas taught colonists to grow the indigenous grains, which included some varieties of yellow corn that are still popular as food as well as varieties with red, blue, pink, and black kernels, often banded, spotted, or striped, that are regarded in modern times as ornamental. In the United States these variegated strains, traditionally used in autumn harvest decorations, are called Indian corn. In Great Britain, all maize grain is called Indian corn, in allusion to its origins.
The tall, annual grass has a stout, erect, solid stem and large narrow leaves with wavy margins, spaced alternately on opposite sides of the stem. Staminate (male) flowers are borne on the tassel terminating the main axis of the stem. The pistillate inflorescence, maturing to become the ear, is a spike with a thickened axis, bearing paired spikelets in longitudinal rows, each row of paired spikelets normally producing two rows of grain. The spike is enclosed by modified leaves, called shucks or husks.
and much more
astro, your contribution does not answer the question in the OP. Mark answered it correctly. Corn in English means wheat.
Corn is thought to have been first domesticated in Mexico.
The Roman and biblical references are probably to Milo, a sorghum type grain that looks quite a bit like corn.
Cecil has answered this question:
Arjuna34
You’re a rough ol’ cob sailor :).
Thanks Arjuna and squink. This is one of those things that has irrationally bothered me for a long time.