Final Report Summary - PROFOLANT (Production, Trade and Consumption of Food in Late Antiquity and Early Middle Ages)
The object of the PROFOLANT project is to study food production, consumption and trade in Late Antiquity and Early Middle Ages, which is important to know the roots of the contemporary diet and to fill an existing gap in food history for that period.
A new methodological approach integrating different disciplines and archaeometric investigations to study food history through archaeological materials was applied. This interdisciplinary work takes into account the different materials related to food production, preparation, storage, consumption, transport and discard, the so-called Food Life Cycle. This investigation has been complemented with an ethnoarchaeological study of food production structures and consumption materials, such as ceramics.
Materials found in different Late Antique sites of the Balearic Islands, that were chosen as study case, were analysed (Sa Mesquida and Son Peret? in Mallorca, Pla des Ses Figueres in Cabrera and Can Mariano Gabriel in Ibisa), but also the analysis of materials from different sites in the Mediterranean area were carried out to compare the results. In particular, to characterise the food production at the sites, the analysis of the vats of installations for food production was carried out allowing the identification of oil and wine. On the other side, the chemical analyses of the content have been carried out on cooking pots, common wares and amphorae, to understand the food prepared and consumed in the different sites. Whenever possible, the data obtained were integrated with those provided by the study of animal bones, to better characterise the diet of the inhabitants. Moreover, the integration of the information obtained with the residues analysis and the one coming from the characterisation of the archaeological ceramics in order to understand the provenance and technology was carried out. This has allowed establishing that for the cooking wares, no differences can be appreciated in the use of ceramics made with different fabrics and imported from different areas. Only slight differences can be perceived in the use of cooking wares with different forms (i. e. tall and short casseroles). As for the analyses of the amphorae, it was possible to confirm the import of oil from the Baetica and North Africa in the sites under investigation, as well as of wine from the Italic Peninsula and North Africa.
This investigation has been complemented with an ethnoarchaeological study of food production structures and consumption materials, such as ceramics. In particular, the study of olive oil production places was carried out, as well as the investigation of cheese production. Special attention was deserved to the study the production of olive and lentisk oils. This work allows to document productions that are quickly vanishing and to do a better interpretation of the archaeological materials. Samples were taken from the ethnoarchaeological materials, in order to define the chemical markers of the substances preserved in the matrices of ceramics and plasters in order to create a data base that can allow recognising the different foods at archaeological level. Moreover, the experimental enrichment of ceramic materials was carried out to provide a reference for the interpretation of the analyses of the archaeological materials. These were centred mainly in the understanding of the traces left by different oils and the cooking of broths.
In general, the results of the project are of great impact for the scholars working on the period studied as they provide the first example of a systematic study on the food produced, traded and consumed in Late Antiquity. The methodology proposed resulted to be suitable for this kind of studies and can be proposed as a reference for future studies. The ethnoarchaeological work can provide the basis for the recuperation of traditional foodstuff in the Mediterranean area.
website:
http://www.lrcw. net/index. php? option = com_content&view = article&id = 54&Itemid = 179
A new methodological approach integrating different disciplines and archaeometric investigations to study food history through archaeological materials was applied. This interdisciplinary work takes into account the different materials related to food production, preparation, storage, consumption, transport and discard, the so-called Food Life Cycle. This investigation has been complemented with an ethnoarchaeological study of food production structures and consumption materials, such as ceramics.
Materials found in different Late Antique sites of the Balearic Islands, that were chosen as study case, were analysed (Sa Mesquida and Son Peret? in Mallorca, Pla des Ses Figueres in Cabrera and Can Mariano Gabriel in Ibisa), but also the analysis of materials from different sites in the Mediterranean area were carried out to compare the results. In particular, to characterise the food production at the sites, the analysis of the vats of installations for food production was carried out allowing the identification of oil and wine. On the other side, the chemical analyses of the content have been carried out on cooking pots, common wares and amphorae, to understand the food prepared and consumed in the different sites. Whenever possible, the data obtained were integrated with those provided by the study of animal bones, to better characterise the diet of the inhabitants. Moreover, the integration of the information obtained with the residues analysis and the one coming from the characterisation of the archaeological ceramics in order to understand the provenance and technology was carried out. This has allowed establishing that for the cooking wares, no differences can be appreciated in the use of ceramics made with different fabrics and imported from different areas. Only slight differences can be perceived in the use of cooking wares with different forms (i. e. tall and short casseroles). As for the analyses of the amphorae, it was possible to confirm the import of oil from the Baetica and North Africa in the sites under investigation, as well as of wine from the Italic Peninsula and North Africa.
This investigation has been complemented with an ethnoarchaeological study of food production structures and consumption materials, such as ceramics. In particular, the study of olive oil production places was carried out, as well as the investigation of cheese production. Special attention was deserved to the study the production of olive and lentisk oils. This work allows to document productions that are quickly vanishing and to do a better interpretation of the archaeological materials. Samples were taken from the ethnoarchaeological materials, in order to define the chemical markers of the substances preserved in the matrices of ceramics and plasters in order to create a data base that can allow recognising the different foods at archaeological level. Moreover, the experimental enrichment of ceramic materials was carried out to provide a reference for the interpretation of the analyses of the archaeological materials. These were centred mainly in the understanding of the traces left by different oils and the cooking of broths.
In general, the results of the project are of great impact for the scholars working on the period studied as they provide the first example of a systematic study on the food produced, traded and consumed in Late Antiquity. The methodology proposed resulted to be suitable for this kind of studies and can be proposed as a reference for future studies. The ethnoarchaeological work can provide the basis for the recuperation of traditional foodstuff in the Mediterranean area.
website:
http://www.lrcw. net/index. php? option = com_content&view = article&id = 54&Itemid = 179