Ancient Diet and Disease

Catalog description

This course studies how premodern societies acquired, prepared, served, exchanged, and consumed their food. By exploring archaeological, paleoenvironmental, and (ethno-)historical sources, students will learn about hunting and gathering, the emergence of horticulture, intensive agricultural practices, food preparation, storage, and transportation technologies. In addition, students will learn about the economic, political, and ideological roles played by food in the archaeological past. This course does not focus on a world area or time-period, but rather covers cultures from across five continents and dating from ca. 10,000 BCE to 1,500 CE. Satisfies Anthropology major and minor requirement Satisfies Environmental Studies major and minor, Social Sciences track Satisfies Historical Thought requirement Satisfies Cultural Diversity requirement