Project description DEENESFRITPL Shedding light on sacrificial food in Graeco-Roman societies To date, there are gaps in our knowledge regarding animal sacrifice in Classical, Hellenistic and Roman societies. Addressing this, the EU-funded SACHROFICS project will conduct an interdisciplinary study on sacrificial food in these societies to uncover animal treatment before, during and after sacrificial events. The project will draw on zooarchaeology coupled with stable isotope, dental microwear and archaeobotanical analyses. The work of the project will provide a better understanding of the entire chain of operations involved in sacrificial food and contribute to debates on the role of food in Graeco-Roman societies diachronically. Show the project objective Hide the project objective Objective Animal sacrifice was a major institution for meat distribution in Classical, Hellenistic and Roman societies. Early research suggested that meat consumption was infrequent in the Greco-Roman world but recent zooarchaeological and isotopic data indicate larger quantities from a diverse suite of animals consumed in temple precincts. Sacrificial meat was also consumed in secular contexts but the details are unknown. Despite recent advances, important aspects are in urgent need of investigation through primary data. These include the husbandry systems that produced the animals, the selection process for sacrificed and non-sacrificed animals, the logistics of consumption and differences between religious and secular contexts. Plants also played roles in sacrificial practices and fluctuations in their use is another proxy for cultural and economic change. In addition to these themes, our knowledge of sacrificial food suffers from geographical gaps and a dearth of diachronic studies. Project SACHROFICS addresses these gaps through an interdisciplinary study of sacrificial food in Classical, Hellenistic and Roman Cyprus. This choice covers an important geographic gap, provides an ideal ‘laboratory’ to assess external influences and a cultural melting pot to study the fusion of eastern and Greco-Roman cultures. The project aspires to achieve high-resolution insights into animal treatment before, during and after sacrificial events through a methodological suite spearheaded by zooarchaeology and complemented by stable isotope, dental microwear and archaeobotanical analyses. These insights form a solid basis to fulfil its objective of understanding the entire chain of operations involved in sacrificial food (production, consumption, deposition), and contribute to debates on the role of food in Greco-Roman societies diachronically. The integration of the project’s findings in the eastern Mediterranean amplifies the knowledge produced and increases its relevance to other areas. Fields of science humanitieshistory and archaeologyarchaeologybioarchaeology Programme(s) H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Main Programme H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility Topic(s) MSCA-IF-2020 - Individual Fellowships Call for proposal H2020-MSCA-IF-2020 See other projects for this call Funding Scheme MSCA-IF-EF-CAR - CAR – Career Restart panel Coordinator THE CYPRUS INSTITUTE Net EU contribution € 236 911,68 Address Constantinou kavafi 20 2121 Nicosia Cyprus See on map Region Κύπρος Κύπρος Κύπρος Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Other funding € 0,00
