Food, Drink and Identity in the Ancient World

Catalog description

Through myth, literature, religion, art and archaeology, this course investigates different kinds of evidence for the food cultures of the ancient Near East, the Greek world and the Roman Empire. Specific types of food and drink and occasions at which they were shared formed the social and religious ties at the heart of these civilizations, and helped shape modern Western values concerning food production and consumption. Food security, human fertility, sense of community, relation to the gods and proper social order are all themes that reappear in the myths, literature and art of these major civilizations.