| CODE | LAS2041 | |||||||||
| TITLE | Wining and Dining the Roman Way: The Archaeology of Food Production | |||||||||
| UM LEVEL | H - Higher Level | |||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 6 | |||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 4 | |||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Centre for the Liberal Arts and Sciences | |||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | Eating and drinking was not just about nutrition, but played a fundamental role in showing off and getting rich! This unit will explore the archaeology behind ancient food in the Mediterranean, by tracing the process of producing, distributing and consuming a variety of ingredients and foodstuffs popular in the Roman diet, and taking a look at how closely linked food was to societal expectations, environmental adaptability and the ancient economy. Over the course of the unit various themes will be tackled, including the central role of practicing agriculture in the Roman world; the archaeological evidence for the production of ancient olive oil and wine; sourcing and producing different types of foods such as meat, fish and grains; the ancient spice trade; and looking at the ways the Romans prepared and cooked their food and entertained guests. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the unit the student will be able to: • Explain the various sources of archaeological evidence related to ancient food manufacture, distribution and consumption; • List the main classes of food and drink produced and consumed in the Mediterranean during antiquity; • Describe the main themes and debates concerning the role of agriculture in the ancient Mediterranean economy; • Analyse the archaeological and scientific evidence behind ancient eating practices and nutrition. 2. Skills: By the end of the unit the student will be able to: • Be equipped with the basic critical skills necessary to interpret different sources of archaeological, literary and iconographic evidence; • Critically assess the strengths and weaknesses of archaeological interpretation, debates and arguments when conducting independent research; • Communicate independent research to your peers through a visual presentation. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main text/s: - Bonanno, A. 2008. Maltese wine pressing in antiquity. Melita Historica 15/1: 1–18. - Donahue, J.F. 2014. Food and drink in antiquity: A sourcebook. New York: Bloomsbury. - Garnsey, P. 1999. Food and Society in Classical Antiquity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. - Rossiter, J.J. 1981. Wine and oil processing at farms in Italy. Phoenix 35(4): 345-361. - Wilkins, J., Nadeau, R. (eds) 2015. A Companion to food in the Ancient World. Oxford: Wiley Blackwell. A detailed reading list and links to resources will be supplied with each lecture. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture and Visit | |||||||||
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| LECTURER/S | Maxine Anastasi |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2023/4. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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