Food in the ancient world

Explores a millennium of food consumption, from c.750 BC to 200 AD.

Shows the pivotal role food had in a world where it was linked with morality and the social order.

Concerns people from all walks of life - impoverished citizens subsisting on cereals to the meat-eating elites.

Describes religious sacrifices, ancient dinner parties and drinking bouts, as well as exotic foods and recipes.

Considers the role of food in ancient literature from Homer to Juvenal and Petronius.

Author Notes

Shaun Hill is Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Exeter.

Reviews (1)

Choice Review

Published as part of a series intended by Blackwell to be "enjoyable, straightforward surveys of key themes in ancient culture," this volume by Wilkins and Hill (both, Univ. of Exeter) is remarkably successful. Ranging far beyond standard treatments of Petronius and Apicius, Wilkins and Hill explore a range of issues in Greco-Roman culture, such as the social hierarchies of dining, the precarious diets of the poor (acorns, anyone?), and food in religious ceremonies, including women's festivals. The authors incorporate an impressive range of ancient sources, modern classical scholarship, and studies in the history of food, especially the work of Andrew Dalby. The chapter on medical approaches to food is an excellent introduction to ancient medicine and the importance placed by medical writers on cooking techniques, the properties of individual foods, and diet. Introductions that seek to provide a contemporary context to ancient themes explored in the chapters will be appreciated by general readers and undergraduates, but may be less relevant to graduate students and faculty. ^BSumming Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. T. J. Bond Washington State University

Figures

Preface

Timeline

Map of the Mediterranean

Introduction

1 An Overview of Food in Antiquity

Introduction

2 The Social Context of Eating

Introduction

3 Food and Ancient Religion

Introduction

4 Staple Foods: Cereals and Pulses

Introduction

5 Meat and Fish

Introduction

6 Wine and Drinking

Introduction

7 Food in Ancient Thought

Introduction

8 Medial Approaches to Food

Introduction

9 Food in Literature

Recipes

Bibliography

Index

Mevcut:*

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Özet

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Author Notes

Reviews (1)

Choice Review

Table of Contents