Food & Drink in Archaeology 1: University of Nottingham Postgraduate Conference 2007

This volume collects papers from a 2007 University of Nottingham conference, published by Prospect Books. It examines food and drink across diverse historical periods and regions, including the ancient Near East, Mediterranean, Europe, and British Isles. The text relies on varied sources such as household accounts, skeletal remains, and archaeological deposits to reconstruct past diets and social practices. Contributors analyze specific case studies that reveal how eating habits reflected cultural identity. Kirsten Bedigan explores alcohol in the cult of the Kabeiroi, while Mark Dawson uses Willoughby family records to trace changing tastes in sixteenth-century England. Rachel Fox and Katherine Harrell investigate Mycenaean palatial feasts as tools for building alliances. Other chapters address the significance of salt production, the distribution of catering in Ostia Antica, and the dietary struggles of Greenland Norse settlers. The collection also covers medieval diet evidence from London, Roman olive cultivation, and Viking-age town life. Michela Sandias applies stable isotope analysis to skeletal remains from Jordan, and Anne Sassin examines literary and archaeological data regarding early medieval feasting in Ireland and Wales. This academic compilation suits researchers interested in zooarchaeology and social history. It may not appeal to readers seeking practical recipes or general culinary narratives.