Food in Antiquity: Studies in Ancient Society and Culture - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0859894185 ISBN 13: 9780859894180

Publisher: Liverpool University Press, 1995

Synopsis

Food as a cultural symbol was as important in antiquity as in our own times and Food in Antiquity investigates some of the ways in which food and eating shaped the lives and thoughts of the indigenous peoples of the ancient Mediterranean. In this volume thirty contributors consider aspects of food and eating in the Greco-Roman world. This is the most comprehensive exploration of questions relating to food in antiquity in this country. The authors, some specialists in this field, others with expertise in other areas, use a range of approaches to investigate the production and distribution of food, social, religious and political factors, medicine and diet, cultural identity and contrasts with neighbouring cultures, and food in literature. The volume is designed for both Classicists and those interested in the history of food. The aim is both to illuminate and to entertain, and at the same time to remind the reader that the Greeks and Romans were not only philosophers and rulers of empires, they were.

About this title

About the Author:

John Wilkins is Professor in Greek Literature, University of Exeter. He is a specialist in the history of food in Greco-Roman culture, with current interests in literature (especially comic drama) and medicine (especially nutrition). His books include Food in Antiquity: Studies in Ancient Society and Culture (Exeter, 1996). David Harvey was, until his retirement, Lecturer in Classics, University of Exeter. Mike Dobson is Director of Humanities Computing and Director of Studies for Information Technology at the University of Exeter.

Review:

"Because of what it tells us about the cultures that fashioned it into such strange rituals, food is now a respectable part of history ..."--Times Literary Supplement

"A valuable addition to the growing number of books on the production and consumption of food in the ancient world."--Journal of ALT and JACT

About this edition

• Publisher: Liverpool University Press
• Publication date: 1995
• ISBN 10: 0859894185
• ISBN 13: 9780859894180
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 473
• Editor: Wilkins John, Harvey David, Dobson Michael J.