Animal bones: Once discarded by archaeologists as more or less useless, in recent years they have become an essential part of modern research. Current scientific analysis can shed a lot of light on many aspects of daily ancient life. Simply, by studying what bones our ancestors left behind, i.e. what was consumed, how, and when and then discarded. With isotope analysis of human and animal remains, we can also find out their diet and how this diet varied from season to season! All incredibly detailed and exciting stuff which we have only scratched the surface of!

Dr Flint Dibble is an archaeologist whose research focuses on foodways of ancient Greece.

On today's episode, Flint takes us on an exploration of ancient Greece, and makes a case for the importance of zooarchaeology in studying the foods and what animals were consumed in the past. Crucially, how the literary evidence from surviving ancient texts gives us one picture of food in ancient Greece, and how this isn't the whole complete one. While we discover more, a more highly complex portrayal of the diet of the every day person emerges for men, women, slaves and children. Importantly, we discuss, why is our conception of past peoples diet wrong and how?

Flint's current project, ZOOCRETE: The Zooarchaeology of Historical Crete: A Multiscalar Approach to Animals in Ancient Greece, combines archaeological, textual, and biomolecular evidence for the human management and consumption of animals. From animals herded in the landscape to large-scale sacrificial feasts, animals were a central component to the development and resilience of citizen-states during the first millennium BCE.

Enjoy, share and as ever let me know your thoughts!

Much love,

Thom & The Delicious Legacy

Music by Pavlos Kapralos.

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