A Companion to Food in the Ancient World

A Companion to Food in the Ancient World presents a comprehensive overview of the cultural aspects relating to the production, preparation, and consumption of food and drink in antiquity. Featuring original essays contributed by influential scholars in relevant specialties, essays focus on the history of food, eating, and drinking in antiquity from the time of Homer to the later periods of Islam, Byzantium, and the Mediaeval West. Topics covered include the latest findings related to food in ancient literature; food and its relationship to diet, nutrition, philosophy, gender, class, and power; archaeological and anthropological food studies; the production, transport, and preparation of food; food cultures beyond the Greek and Roman worlds; the role of food in ancient religious practices; and considerations of “great food cultures.” Offering illuminating insights into the role of food in ancient civilizations, A Companion to Food in the Ancient World is an indispensable resource to shape our understanding of the development and influences of culinary culture in the ancient Greco–Roman world and beyond. 

List of Illustrations Notes on Contributors Preface / Acknowledgments Abbreviations   Introduction John Wilkins & Robin Nadeau     I. Literature and Approaches   Food in Greek Literature Richard Hunter & Demetra Koukouzika   Athenaeus the Encyclopedist Oswyn Murray   Food in Latin Literature Matthew Leigh   Cookery Books Robin Nadeau   Medical Literature, Diet and Health John Wilkins   Food and Ancient Philosophy Paul Scade   Food, Gender and Sexuality Florence Dupont   Class and Power Elke Stein–Hölkeskamp   The Archaeology of Food Consumption Martin Pitts   Roman Food Remains in Archaeology and the Contents of a Roman Sewer at Herculaneum Mark Robinson & Erica Rowan   Anthropology and Food Studies Sarah Hitch   Art & Images: Feasting in Ancient Greece and Rome François Lissarrague     II. Production & Transport   Animals, Meat and Alimentary By–Products: Patterns of Production and Consumption Christophe Chandezon   Fish Dimitra Mylonas   Agriculture Geoffrey Kron   Storage and Transport Robert Curtis   Supplying Cities Paul Erdkamp     III. Preparation   Men, Women and Slaves Andrew Dalby   Kitchens Bradley A. Ault   Cooking and Baking Nicolas Monteix   Dining in Ancient Greece Pauline Schmitt Pantel   Symposium Sean Corner   Royal Feasting Konrad Vössing   Roman Dining John F. Donahue   Table Manners Robin Nadeau   Wine Appreciation in Ancient Greece Thibaut Boulay     IV. Cultures Beyond Athens and Rome   Food, Culture and Environment in Ancient Asia Minor Stephen Mitchell   Food among Greeks of the Black Sea: the Challenging Diet of Olbia David Braund   Mesopotamia Brigitte Lion   Food in Ancient Egypt Pierre Tallet    ‘Celtic’ Food: Perspectives from Britain Martin Pitts     V. Food & Religion / Great Food Cultures   Sacrifice Sarah Hitch   Jewish Meals in Antiquity Jordan D. Rosenblum   Food and Dining in Early Christianity Dennis E. Smith   Byzantium Béatrice Caseau   Medieval Food Bruno Laurioux   Food in Antiquity: the Islamic Dimension David Waines   The Ideological Foundations of the Food Culture of Pre–Imperial China Françoise Sabban     Bibliography Index  

John Wilkins is Professor of Greek Culture at the University of Exeter. His books include Food in Antiquity (1995), Food in the Ancient World (Wiley–Blackwell 2006) and Galien: Sur les facultés des aliments (2013). Robin Nadeau is Assistant Professor of Classical Studies at Thorneloe University College (Laurentian University), Canada, and an Honorary University Fellow at the University of Exeter, UK. He is the author of Les manières de table dans le monde gréco–romain (2010).