Milano, Lucio (2015). "Eating on the Road: Travel Provisions in the Ebla Archive". In: L. Milano (ed.), Paleonutrition and Food Practices in the Ancient Near East. Padova, pp. 281-296. HANEM 14 (original) (raw)
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Farm to Table: Foodways and Gastro-Politics in the Ancient Near East (syllabus, 2015)
This lecture-based course provides an introduction to the culture, economy, and politics of food in the ancient Near East. We will examine foodways in the broadest sense – that is, the full range of technologies, techniques, attitudes, and assumptions that came into play as food made its way from farm to table. The course will retrace the steps that enabled ancient people to transform a range of plants and animals into forms of sustenance and pleasure, while at the same time infusing them with meaning and significance. We will not only investigate the day-to-day mechanics of food production, storage, processing, cooking, and consumption; we will also develop an appreciation for changing food fashions, for the etiquette of eating and drinking, and for the world of gastro-politics. We will even put on our aprons and explore the ancient kitchen using our own hands, noses, mouths, and stomachs as a guide.
"Food Prohibition and Dietary Regulations in Ancient Mesopotamia", AuOr 32/1, 79-91.
2014
The purpose of this paper is to discuss some aspects of the origin and development of dietary regulations in Mesopotamia. The sources at our disposal bear witness to an intentional use of food and drink in medical and religious context as vehicles of sustenance and symbols used to express affiliation to a closed social group. Regulations were temporary, concerned a specific social group or individual, were effective at a particular time of the year, and sometimes affected the technique of preparation of food. Their reasons were different: among others, purity issues, self-imposed sobriety connected with ethical values, medical concerns.] According to the recent anthropological studies, the most immediate discriminating factors that affect the selection of food within human societies can all be traced back to three basic standards: biology, geography, and culture. This is particularly true for the most ancient period of human history, when men engaged with the environment at their disposal to glean a sustenance.
The aim of this paper is to present and discuss data concerning food preparation and consumption in Royal Palace G at Tell Mardikh/Ebla (Syria), the capital city of an important kingdom during the late Early Bronze Age (EB IVA, 2450-2300 BC). Particular attention is given to a peculiarly large kitchen, in which several hearths were discovered together with cooking pots and vegetal remains. This room cannot be considered a “normal” kitchen for food preparation, but a space linked to the Court of Audience of the palace, in which the preparation and storage of special beverages took place. Many wild plants were found in the earth samples, and almost all of them have medicinal properties. It is most likely that these wild seeds were intentionally collected for the preparation of medicinal substances, infusions or drugs. The use of medicinal plants is suggested by a pharmaceutical text from the Ebla archives, but also the consumption of beverages and infusions during ritual and ceremonial occasions can be argued. The close vicinity of this room to the Court of Audience emphasizes the importance of both the space and the activities that took place there.
in Food & History 12/3 (2014), pp. 3-34
The aim of this paper is to present and discuss data concerning food preparation and consumption in Royal Palace G at Tell Mardikh/Ebla (Syria), the capital city of an important kingdom during the late Early Bronze Age (EB IVA, 2450-2300 BC). Particular attention is given to a peculiarly large kitchen, in which several hearths were discovered together with cooking pots and vegetal remains. This room cannot be considered a "normal" kitchen for food preparation, but a space linked to the Court of Audience of the palace, in which the preparation and storage of special beverages took place. Many wild plants were found in the earth samples, and almost all of them have medicinal properties. It is most likely that these wild seeds were intentionally collected for the preparation of medicinal substances, infusions or drugs. The use of medicinal plants is suggested by a pharmaceutical text from the Ebla archives, but also the consumption of beverages and infusions during ritual and ceremonial occasions can be argued. The close vicinity of this room to the Court of Audience emphasizes the importance of both the space and the activities that took place there.
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