The Archaeology of Food
Identity, Politics, and Ideology in the Prehistoric and Historic Past

Surveys the archaeology of food: its methods and its themes (economics, politics, status, identity, gender, ethnicity, ritual, religion).

Katheryn C. Twiss (Author)

9781108474290, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 14 November 2019

256 pages, 15 b/w illus.
23.5 x 15.6 x 1.6 cm, 0.54 kg

'With its wide variety of case studies and outstanding bibliography, The Archaeology of Food should be on the bookshelves of researchers working on issues of cuisine, foodways, and zooarchaeology. Its modest length and exceptionally clear writing also make this volume a must-read in various undergraduate and graduate seminars. With her often witty prose, and a commitment to make even the most arcane academic debate understandable to beginning students, Twiss has produced an engaging book that will help both the student and professional alike better understand how archaeologists study food.' Matthew E. Hill, Jr, American Anthropologist

The Archaeology of Food explains how archaeologists reconstruct what people ate, and how such reconstructions reveal ancient political struggles, religious practices, ethnic identities, gender norms, and more. Balancing deep research with accessible writing, Katheryn Twiss familiarizes readers with archaeological data, methods, and intellectual approaches as they explore topics ranging from urban commerce to military provisioning to ritual feasting. Along the way, Twiss examines a range of primary evidence, including Roman bars, Aztec statues, Philistine pig remains, Nubian cooking pots, Mississippian squash seeds, and the bones of a medieval king. Her book introduces both archaeologists and non-archaeologists to the study of prehistoric and historic foodways, and illuminates how those foodways shaped and were shaped by past cultures.

1. What is food, and why do archaeologists study it?
2. How do archaeologists study food? Data sets and methods
3. Food and economics
4. Food and inequality
5. Food and politics
6. Identity: food, affiliation, and distinction
7. Food, ritual, and religion
8. Archaeology, food, and the future.

Subject Areas: Archaeology [HD], History: specific events & topics [HBT], History: earliest times to present day [HBL], General & world history [HBG]