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. John Wilkins is Professor of Greek Culture at the University of Exeter. 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. --Book Jacket.