Food in Antiquity: A Survey of the Diet of Early Peoples (Paperback)

by Don R. Brothwell (Author), Patricia Brothwell (Author) "THIS BOOK is an attempt to survey briefly but on a world-wide scale, the diets of earlier peoples..." (more)
Key Phrases: bog butter, prehistoric lake dwellings, carbonized grain, Bronze Age, New York, New World (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Excellently written, arranged and signposted... The authors are to be congratulated on having included so much in so small a space." -- Classical Review

"[This] cannot have been an easy book to write, and it is hardly surprising that there is no other quite like it: the collection and organization of material, the drawing together of evidence disparate in content and origin, the reduction of complex data to brief and intelligible statements, must all have been daunting tasks and one can only admire the authors' courage in attempting them and their skill in producing something which is, in spite of it all, both interesting and useful." -- Journal of Roman Studies

"Very readable... This revised edition will be a useful addition to any Near Eastern bookshelf." -- Rachel S. Hallote, Journal of Near Eastern Studies

Book Description

From soup to nuts -- or rather, from vinegar to locusts.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: The Johns Hopkins University Press; Expanded edition (December 18, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801857406
• ISBN-13: 978-0801857409
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 6.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #967,027 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Primarily Archaeological., March 29, 2000

By A Customer

I picked up this book thinking that it would be a nice survey-style introduction into the various foods and dishes of the ancient world--especially the Classical Mediterranean, given the mosaic on the cover. However, this reads far more like an archaeological treatise recording processes of animal and plant domestication since the Neolithic. With a plethora of taxonomic and anatomical information that's of little use to the non-specialist, the book nevertheless manages to intrigue on occasion, with some tidbits; especially fascinating are the chapters on insects as food and on beverages. Most of the work focuses on the classical and near-eastern civilizations, but occasional mention is made of the mesoamerican cultures as well. Worth reading, but by no means a comprehensive work on early diets.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Every food writer should have a copy, October 2, 2006

By	Lynn Hoffman, author:The Short Course in Beer (Philadelphia) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

This book bills itself as ' a world-wide
survey of the eating and drirking habits
of early peoples'. It's actually a bit
more restricted than that-more of a survey
of what is known archaeologically about
food and drink in pre-modern times.

The book has two great uses. First, for
the eternally curious food-lover, it's a
wonderful browse. The dryly humorous section
on the food value of insects,for example,
is enough of a delight to be worth reading
aloud. The first page of the section on
drinks has the droll observation "It is
sobering to consider that the neglected jar
of fruit juice. . . . .set man along the
road to alcoholism and the illicit still."
The section on cannibalism is perhaps worth
the price of the whole volume.

The second use of this book is as a reference
for the writer and student. Since things
are their history, there's scarcely any
treatment of food, drink or cooking that
would not benefit from at least a reference
to their origins. Organized by type of
foodstuff, this book may be all anyone needs
to know. For those who wish to go further,
there are useful notes and a generous bib-
liography.

By focussing on material culture and archae
ology, the book avoids the trickier
questions of ancient diet as a whole.
What did early man eat? Well, this book gives
some pieces of an answer, but certainly
not a comprehensive picture. As so often
the case with academic writing, it's good
to be familiar with the subjects at hand
so as to avoid being caught up in in
accuracies-honey, for example, does not
ferment in spite of the authors' suggestion.

An excellent source and a jolly diversion,
this is a valuable addition to the scholarly
cook's library.

Lynn Hoffman, author of The New Short Course in Wine and the forthcoming novel bang-BANG from Kunati Press.