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National Archaeology Week is here!
Discover a series of back-to-back programs exploring food in ancient Greece and Rome, presented by The University of Melbourne, Hellenic Museum and CO.AS.IT.
Programs will take place 18–24 May and can be explored below. Part of National Archaeology Week.
Eat Like the Ancients:
A Journey Through History & Taste
Presented by CO.AS.IT. Museo Italiano, Hellenic Museum & the University of Melbourne
When: 6:30–8PM Friday 23 May
Where: CO.AS.IT. Museo Italiano, 199 Faraday Street, Carlton
Cost: $15, booking required
They built empires, thought up democracy, codified laws and laid the foundations of Western philosophy, but you can’t do any of that on an empty stomach! So what fueled the ancient Greeks and Romans? And who ate better?
In this light-hearted discussion, Dr Jessica Loyer and Dr Tania Cammarano will explore the chief ingredients of the ancient Greek and Roman diet while giving you the chance to eat your history at the same time. While they explore the belief system behind Greek and Roman eating habits, as well as their ideas about health, medicine and how it related to food, you get to taste a selection of “ancient” ingredients.
Hungry Hellenes: Ancient Appetites
Workshop for ages 8–13 presented by the Hellenic Museum.
When: 11AM–12:30PM Sunday 18 May
Where: Hellenic Museum, Melbourne CBD
Cost: Free, booking required
Calling all young archaeologists! This week is National Archaeology Week, and this year we are celebrating the history of ancient Greek food. Learn about the key role played by food in the daily life of ancient Greeks, from the military training of Spartan children to currying favour from the gods!
Participants will learn all they need to know in order to live and eat like an ancient Greek through a tour of the exhibitions. Then, we’ll learn about ancient Greek hunting styles, and discover delicacies of the past. Finally, participants are welcome to bring a picnic lunch to have in the museum’s courtyard afterwards, and put some of their theory into practice!
Recommended for ages 8–13. Registration includes Hellenic Museum general entry after the workshop.
Pickled Lettuce, Boiled Pigeon & Amber Wine:
Eating Like a Roman
Talk by Dr. Tamara Lewit, Honourary Fellow,
University of Melbourne
When: 6:30–8PM Wednesday 21 May
Where: CO.AS.IT. Museo Italiano, 199 Faraday Street, Carlton
Cost: Free, booking required
Food gives us a window into the everyday lives of people in the past and reminds us that our own diet can have ancient roots. This presentation looks at what people in the Roman Empire ate and drank, the familiar and the strange, from chickpeas and olive oil to dormice and sparrows. It will explore not only diet but some cultural and religious aspects of what, how, and why different foods were eaten.
Romans had dinner at 3 pm and ate with their fingers from a shared plate. Their bones tell a story of rickets, scurvy and lead poisoning. Wine was mixed with pigeon dung for medicine, and offered to the gods of the household and to the dead. Recipes and poems, mosaics and wall paintings, burials and pottery, plant and animal remains can all contribute to our understanding of the many roles of food and drink in the Roman Empire.
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