Objective The project seeks to explore culinary practice among early farming European communities, from the Aegean to Central Europe, spanning the Neolithic through to the Iron Age (7th-1st millennia BC). The project seeks to identify the ‘food cultures’ of prehistoric Europe, and to reconstruct how cultivated and wild plant foods were transformed into dishes exploring their underlying cultural and environmental contexts and their evolution through time. The project will explore how culinary identities were shaped through the selection of plant foods both in terms of ingredients as well as processing and cooking practices. Thus not only species and meals but also the equipment involved in plant food preparation will be considered for the study area, linking the end product to the relevant technologies of transformation. Macroscopic and microscopic examination of the archaeological finds and experimental replication of various aspects of food preparation techniques informed by ethnographic investigations will form the main analytical tools. The interdisciplinary and contextual examination of the archaeological record will provide a fresh insight into prehistoric cuisine in Europe, the transformation of nature to culture through cooking. The project will revolutionise perceptions of prehistoric food preparation providing insights for the ‘longue durée’ of traditional plant foods constituting Europe’s intangible cultural heritage. Keywords Archaeobotany ancient food studies starch analysis phytolith analysis ground stone tool technology tool use-wear analysis cooking devices prehistoric cuisine Programme(s) H2020-EU.1.1. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC) Topic(s) ERC-CoG-2015 - ERC Consolidator Grant Call for proposal ERC-2015-CoG See other projects for this call Funding Scheme ERC-COG - Consolidator Grant Coordinator ARISTOTELIO PANEPISTIMIO THESSALONIKIS Net EU contribution € 1 673 675,00 Address Kedea building, tritis septemvriou, aristotle university campus 546 36 Thessaloniki Greece See on map Region Βόρεια Ελλάδα Κεντρική Μακεδονία Θεσσαλονίκη 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 Beneficiaries (5) Sort alphabetically Sort by Net EU contribution Expand all Collapse all ARISTOTELIO PANEPISTIMIO THESSALONIKIS Greece Net EU contribution € 1 673 675,00 Address Kedea building, tritis septemvriou, aristotle university campus 546 36 Thessaloniki See on map Region Βόρεια Ελλάδα Κεντρική Μακεδονία Θεσσαλονίκη 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 UNIVERSITAT BASEL Switzerland Net EU contribution € 71 250,00 Address Petersplatz 1 4051 Basel See on map Region Schweiz/Suisse/Svizzera Nordwestschweiz Basel-Stadt 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 UNIVERSITAET HOHENHEIM Germany Net EU contribution € 89 950,00 Address Schloss hohenheim 70599 Stuttgart See on map Region Baden-Württemberg Stuttgart Stuttgart, Stadtkreis 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 UNIVERSITAT WIEN Participation ended Austria Net EU contribution € 0,00 Address Universitatsring 1 1010 Wien See on map Region Ostösterreich Wien Wien 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 OESTERREICHISCHE AKADEMIE DER WISSENSCHAFTEN Austria Net EU contribution € 57 000,00 Address Dr. ignaz seipel-platz 2 1010 Wien See on map Region Ostösterreich Wien Wien Activity type Research Organisations 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
