Anyone teaching a course on the archaeology of food has thus far had a relatively limited choice of core texts for this subject, with no single key work offering comprehensive coverage of current methods and approaches. The archaeology of food remedies this. Taking as her foundation the universality of food in human life, and acknowledging that ‘food’ is a culturally specific term whose meaning within any given culture changes over time, Katheryn Twiss reveals the insight into human experience that is afforded by studying food archaeologically. Twiss identifies two main schools of thought among food archaeologists: what she terms ‘behavioural ecological’, which understands food in functional terms, as nutrition evaluated by the energy it provides compared with the energy expended to acquire it; and ‘social’, which recognises food as culturally significant (p. 11). Her own perspective embraces the social archaeology of food, which “concentrates on topics such as politics, gender, ethnicity, and faith” (p. 15).
Twiss notes the prevalence of studies of feasting in the archaeological literature on food; this is despite the lack of a common definition of ‘feasting’. She argues that the common usage of the word ‘feast’ in the archaeological literature (to denote a large banquet, often with ritual significance) can be ambiguous if authors do not define their understanding of the term. Twiss echoes a point made by other food archaeologists in stating that “a culture's feasts […] are culinarily, stylistically, and symbolically related to other meals in that culture” (p. 9). This segues neatly into a discussion of the importance of understanding everyday food habits (Chapter 1), a task made more feasible by a variety of analytical techniques that are discussed in Chapter 2. Stressing the need for a wide variety of methodologies to be applied to excavated material, Twiss discusses recovery, analysis and contribution to knowledge of a vast range of evidence including: botanical and faunal remains; dietary stable isotopes; trace element ratios; palaeofaeces and gut contents; dental calculus; microbiomes; proteins; organic residues; palaeopathology; parasites; dental wear; lithics; ceramics; landscapes and the built environment; and texts and iconography. Particularly useful is her detailed and accessible discussion of the role dietary stable isotopes play in reconstructing ancient diet, and the science underpinning this research.
Chapter 3 addresses the economic role of food, providing cogent examples of food as currency and commodity; methods of production, procurement and distribution; the privatisation of food; surplus or abundance of foodstuffs; food and globalisation; and labour related to food production.
A case study of the relationship between food and status is presented in Chapter 4, focusing on King Richard III, whose skeleton was discovered by archaeologists beneath a car park in Leicester in 2012. Using stable isotope analysis archaeologists were able to reconstruct Richard's dietary life. His lifelong elite status is reflected in the data, which reveal that his diet—always on a par with that of the upper echelons of English society—was richer still after he became king and increased his consumption of game birds, freshwater fish and wine. Twiss goes on to discuss high-status foods and diets; the use of food in emulation; inequalities in dining as revealed through ceramic dinner wares; table manners; and the importance of studying status and wealth together (because income is not always a direct reflection of status).
Chapter 5 considers food and politics, and the theme of feasting re-emerges. Twiss cites Norse Vikings settlers in Iceland as examples of a society whose power was dependent on feasting and the ability to produce certain foods. The Scandinavian system of chieftainship dictated that chieftains host great feasts, providing large amounts of beef and beer. Neither cattle nor barley were well suited to the Icelandic climate or geology, and as environmental degradation made it impossible to maintain production of these resources, the chieftains were unable to sponsor great feasts and eventually lost their power. Twiss reviews the many efforts to develop typologies for feasts (nicely summarised in tab. 5.1), but remains unconvinced that these are useful to archaeologists. Turning to more quotidian politics, Twiss considers household-level power structures and the politics of daily meals, before moving on to explore the politics of food production (e.g. centralised control of agriculture and animal husbandry vs household autonomy). Food-based diplomacy and political messaging are also addressed in this chapter, together with food and war (e.g. wartime shortages, military purchasing and provisioning, deliberate destruction of enemy food supplies and food as a cause of conflict).
In Chapter 6, Twiss investigates the relationship between food and identity. She discusses Chinese diaspora communities in California to highlight ethnicities as “unstable phenomena” (p. 131) delineated through food and foodways, exploring at length the factors that determine the degree to which ethnic food practices are open to change. This is also reflected in case studies that demonstrate ways in which enslaved people, brought to Rich Neck Plantation in Virginia from very different parts of Africa, forged a shared ethnicity by creating a new cuisine featuring ingredients from Europe, America and Africa.
Chapter 7 addresses how food intersects with beliefs, cultural assumptions and ideologies. Twiss uses a variety of archaeological examples to reconstruct religious activities such as feasting and fasting; offering and sacrifice; almsgiving; eating with gods and ancestors; ritual beliefs and human interactions; and the economic implications of religious foodways. The closing chapter considers the relevance of food archaeology in the modern world and how it might inform solutions to concerns about food systems, sustainable food and global supply.
The archaeology of food is an excellent read; Twiss is an engaging writer, serious about her topic but exhibiting a wry sense of humour. The book's depth and breadth of coverage is truly impressive, more so because it is only 196 pages in length. As the blurb states, this volume is perfect as a textbook for courses on the archaeology of food or food in archaeological sciences; it is also highly recommended for anyone who wishes to learn about the current state of the art of the archaeology of food.
