Food and Drink in Antiquity: A Sourcebook

Amid growing interest in food and drink as an academic discipline in recent years, Food and Drink in Antiquity emerges as the only source to provide insight into eating and drinking by focusing on what the ancients themselves actually had to say about this important topic. This thorough and varied sourcebook offers a thematic approach to eating and drinking in antiquity and is a unique asset to any course on food and foodways. The chronological scope of the material extends from Greece of the Eighth Century BCE to the Late Roman Empire of the Fourth Century CE. Each thematic chapter consists of an introduction along with a concluding bibliography of suggested readings. The excerpts themselves, rendered in clear and readable English that remains faithful to the original Latin or Greek, are set in their proper social and historical context, with the author of each passage fully identified. This volume provides a compilation of essential source material for classics courses focusing on ancient social history, for introductory courses on the history of food and drink, as well as for those offerings with a strong sociological or anthropological approach. A wide range of evidence, drawing upon literary, inscriptional, legal and religious testimony, makes Food and Drink in Antiquity an essential source and one that is particularly well suited to the interdisciplinary focus of modern food studies. The chronological scope of the excerpts extends from Homer in the Eighth Century BCE to the Roman emperor Constantine in the Fourth Century CE. Each thematic chapter consists of an introduction along with a bibliography of suggested readings. Translated excerpts are then presented accompanied by an explanatory background paragraph identifying the author and context of each passage. A wide range of evidence is included, the majority is literary, but also includes inscriptional, legal and religious, making this volume the essential source for the relevant food and classics courses.