This volume comprises 19 chapters covering sites and material spanning the Late Mesolithic to the Early Iron Age, and geographically ranging from Greece and Turkey to Romania. In their introduction, the editors state that the volume aims to improve our understanding of foodways in the Balkans and contribute to the fields of both archaeology and food studies. By taking a transcultural approach that integrates numerous archaeological sub-disciplines, from environmental archaeology to sensory archaeology and practice-oriented approaches, they hope to show that the prehistoric Balkans were not simply a bridge or a buffer zone, but a dynamic region of cultural change and interaction. Broader contributions to archaeology can be found in their diachronic approach to foodways and close analysis of seemingly mundane objects such as grinding stones and cups. For readers in the field of food studies, the editors seek to remind them not to oversimplify the archaeological evidence and project modern practices into the past. As a single volume, the book is lofty in its aims yet excellent in its execution. It achieves all it sets out to do.

The editors have ensured an interdisciplinary approach to prehistoric foodways, with chapters covering a wide range of artefacts. All but two of the chapters (1 and 19) take the form of a case study, with most focusing on a particular site or region. There is a particularly heavy focus on environmental archaeology, and it is especially pleasing to see that many contributors have integrated multiple lines of evidence. Many chapters make use of zooarchaeological material. Chapter 2, on food taboos in Neolithic Anatolia and South-eastern Europe, uses animal bones, wall paintings, reliefs and figurines to determine the presence of full and partial taboos regarding the consumption of deer, boar, dogs and birds at the sites of Çatalhöyük in Turkey and Opovo in Serbia. Like many other chapters in the volume, it highlights the importance of looking at what is often perceived as minor or less important material, in this case the minor taxa in a zooarchaeological assemblage.

Several chapters present new archaeobotanical finds, either on their own or in association with zooarchaeological or ceramic remains. Chapter 9, looking at foraging and food-production strategies at the Early Neolithic site of Bucova Pusta in Romania, is a prime example of good field practices and post-excavation analysis. Here, careful sampling has recovered plant, animal, fish, shellfish and bird remains. This relatively thorough picture of diet at the site has allowed the authors to present clear evidence of both foraging and farming. The diet at Bucova Pusta was slightly different from those in other regions of the Early Neolithic Balkans, prompting the interesting question: was this a result of adaptation to the local environment or the survival of Mesolithic traditions? In addition to successfully highlighting the value of integrating multiple lines of evidence, all chapters that discuss zooarchaeological or archaeobotanical evidence contain full data tables, demonstrating an awareness of good publication practice on the part of both the contributors and editors.

The remaining chapters focus on other types of archaeological material such as pits, ceramics, milling slabs and flint tools. The ceramics chapters (3–4 & 6) ask new and interesting questions of these common and often well-documented artefacts, seeking to explore the way that changes in pottery led to, or were generated by, social change. Chapter 3 uses architectural remains and ceramics to demonstrate how the use of permanent stone houses reshaped social interactions and food-preparation practices in Early Neolithic Greece. Chapter 4 uses ceramics to show that while in northern Greece we can see changes in the use and variety of cooking pots from the Early to Late Neolithic, the pattern is not uniform, and sites located close together still maintain individual and unique practices. The two chapters (12–13) on salt, a hugely important and widely traded commodity in prehistory, both question how its production and trade influenced social and cultural power dynamics in the form of wealth, social stratification and resource acquisition.

The chapters are not presented chronologically or geographically, but, as they are primarily case studies, that makes little difference. All the chapters are concise and organised, providing enough background information for the reader but leaving sufficient space to present the data and conclusions. There are plenty of maps, printed at a reasonable quality, to help orientate readers less familiar with the huge range of geographical landscapes presented. One of the particular highlights of the volume is the way that the finds in each chapter are discussed within their wider archaeological context. When writing short case studies, authors often run the risk of presenting the data in isolation. All contributors have managed to avoid this problem, linking their sites or data to finds from geographically or chronologically similar regions. The final chapter is a synthesis that uses anthropomorphic measurements and isotopes to consider the connection between diet and stature. While it utilises data from hundreds of sites, it is not necessarily the ‘big picture’ conclusion that the reader anticipated. Consequently, the only thing lacking from the volume is a summary final chapter by the editors that ties all the evidence together and attempts to answer the big questions. Nevertheless, the picture that emerges is of a complex, changing, dynamic and varied foodscape in the prehistoric Balkans. By asking socially and culturally oriented questions of the data and providing a close examination of the material, the authors have been able to show nuanced differences between sites and regions, highlighting the vibrancy of life in the deep and often mysterious past. The volume therefore makes an important contribution to our understanding of the complexity of past foodways, and highlights the interdisciplinary methodological approaches that we must continue to undertake.