Food and Society in Classical Antiquity (Key Themes in Ancient History)

191 Pages·1999·3.95 MB·English

by  Peter Garnsey

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FOOD AND SOCIETY IN
CLASSICAL ANTIQUITY
Thisisthefirststudyof foodinclassicalantiquitythattreatsfood
asbothabiologicalandaculturalphenomenon.Thevariablesof
food quantity, quality and availability, and the impact of disease,
areevaluatedandajudgementreachedonthehealthof thepopu-
lationwhichinclinestopessimism.Foodisalsoasymbol,evoking
otherbasichumanneedsanddesires,especiallysex,andperform-
ingsocialandculturalroleswhichcanbeeitherintegrativeordivi-
sive.ThebookexploresfoodtaboosinGreek,RomanandJewish
society,andfood-allocationwithinthefamily,aswellasmorefamil-
iarculturalandeconomicpolaritieswhicharehighlightedbyfood
andeating.Theauthordrawsonawiderangeof evidencenewand
old,fromwrittensourcestohumanskeletalremains,andusesboth
comparative historical evidence from early modern and contem-
porary developing societies and the anthropological literature, to
createacase-studyof foodinantiquity.
  isProfessorof theHistoryof ClassicalAntiquity
intheUniversityof Cambridge,andFellowof JesusCollege.Heis
the author of, amongst other titles, Famine and Food Supply in the
Graeco-RomanWorld:ResponsestoRiskandCrisis(),Ideasof Slavery
fromAristotletoAugustine()andCities,PeasantsandFoodinClassical
Antiquity: Essays in Social and Economic History (). He is also a
co-editorof TheCambridgeAncientHistoryVolumes,and.
    
Editors
P.A.Cartledge
ClareCollege,Cambridge
P.D.A.Garnsey
JesusCollege,Cambridge
KeyThemesinAncientHistoryaimstoprovidereadable,informedandorigi-
nalstudiesof variousbasictopics,designedinthefirstinstanceforstudentsand
teachersof ClassicsandAncientHistory,butalsoforthoseengagedinrelated
disciplines. Each volume is devoted to a general theme in Greek, Roman or,
whereappropriate,Graeco-Romanhistory,ortosomesalientaspectoraspects
of it. Besides indicating the state of current research in the relevant area,
authorsseektoshowhowthethemeissignificantforourownaswellasancient
culture and society. By providing books for courses that are oriented around
themesitishopedtoencourageandstimulatepromisingnewdevelopmentsin
teachingandresearchinancienthistory.
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FOOD AND SOCIETY IN
CLASSICAL ANTIQUITY
PETER GARNSEY
  
Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, São Paulo
Cambridge University Press
The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge  , United Kingdom
Published in the United States by Cambridge University Press, New York
www.cambridge.org
Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9780521641821
© Cambridge University Press 1999
This book is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provision of
relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place
without the written permission of Cambridge University Press.
First published in print format 1999
ISBN-13 978-0-511-06835-5 eBook (EBL)
ISBN-10 0-511-06835-2 eBook (EBL)
ISBN-13 978-0-521-64182-1 hardback
ISBN-10 0-521-64182-9 hardback
ISBN-13 978-0-521-64588-1 paperback
ISBN-10 0-521-64588-3 paperback
Cambridge University Press has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of
s for external or third-party internet websites referred to in this book, and does not
guarantee that any content on such websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.
Inmemory of ConantBrodribb
archaeologist, educationalist, raconteur

Contents
Listof illustrations pageviii
Acknowledgements ix
Abbreviations x
Preface xi
 Introduction:Food,substanceandsymbol 
 Diet 
 Foodandtheeconomy 
 Foodcrisis 
 Malnutrition 
 Otherness 
 Forbiddenfoods 
 Foodandthefamily 
 Havesandhavenots 
 Youarewithwhomyoueat 
 Conclusion:Choiceandnecessity 
Bibliographicalessay 
Bibliography 
Index 
vii
Illustrations
 Funeraryscene.FromCiprianiandLongo(),.
Andriuolo,Paestum.Tomb,northwall.Lucanian,
c.– page
 Distributionof olivecultivationaroundtheMediterranean.
FromRenfrew(),,fig. 
 Digitalreconstructionof across-sectionof alowerincisor
(deciduous),×.Necropolisof IsolaSacra 
 ‘ExcavatedSkeleton’.PoembyConantBrodribb 
 Enamelhypoplasia,fromBarrington,Cambridgeshire.Sixth
toseventhcentury,Anglo-Saxon 
 Cribraorbitalia,fromBarrington,Cambridgeshire.Sixthto
seventhcentury,Anglo-Saxon 
 Funeraryprocessionleadingtosacrifice.FromCiprianiand
Longo(),.Andriuolo,Paestum.Tomb,eastwall.
Lucanian,c. 
 Horseonthemenu.SecondipiattifromatrattoriainParma,
Italy 
 Symposiumscenes.FromCiprianiandLongo(),.
TombadelTuffatore,northandsouthwalls,Paestum.Greek.
Latesixthcentury 
viii