1 - The ancient household and its food

Summary

Introduction

In the early days of humanity's existence food was a basic necessity – one needed food in order to survive. Fast-forward to today and food has evolved into an indulgence, an art form, and a multi-layered subject of inquiry. Food science, nutrition, the history of food, and cultural anthropology are only a few of the disciplines that have been created or affected by the fascination with and love of food. More recently, archaeology in general (and Syro-Palestinian archaeology in particular) has incorporated the study of food into its repertoire. More and more Syro-Palestinian archaeologists understand the importance of botanical and faunal remains in their excavations and have published accordingly. Likewise, biblical scholars, who have traditionally focused on food as a dimension of sacrifice and a topic subject to dietary laws, have included the study of agriculture and nutrition with their study of food in the Hebrew Bible. However, the time has now come to broaden the research of food in the Hebrew Bible beyond the questions of sacrifice, dietary laws, nutrition, flora, and fauna to include more detailed questions about the role of food in the daily lives of ancient Israelites and Judahites both textually and archaeologically.

This book seeks to determine if there were differences in domestic food-preparation techniques in Judah in the Iron IIB–C period between the urban settlements and the rural farmsteads. The question will be investigated by combining the principles of household archaeology with Jack Goody's food-preparation paradigm.