Economy and Gastronomy
Animals in Antiquity, Week 2


Ancient diet
•Grape, grain, olive
•High in fiber, low in cholesterol
•Meat eating connected to religious sacrifice (story abour Prometheus – Hesiod, Theogony 535-57)
•Consumption of meat – symbol of status

Sacrificial meat
•Sacrifice and feasting from Iron Age
•In Classical period – fundamental feature of life in Polis (16 city-wide sacrifices/year)
•Bone deposit at Corinth – sacrifise would have fed 15 000 spectators for 4-5 days
•Mass sacrifices – emerging meat market in Athens (see decree of the deme Skambonidai)

Reese (1987: 264); https://www.atticinscriptions.com/inscription/CGRN/19

•Sacrificial victim vs. commercial commodity •The same official conducts sacrifice and sale:
mageiros •After 5th ce. AD the meat trade was less connected to religion

Mageiros: https://1historyofgreekfood.wordpress.com/2009/12/04/mageiros-the-sacrifice-the-cuisine/,
picture: Epidromos painter, 510 - 500 B.C.

Appetites
•Meat consumtion connected also to impious behavior (Homer, Odyssey 12.354-425 – Cattle of the sun)
•Appetites of gluttons in comedy (eating meat without sacrifice – carnal appetite)
•Golden Age – culinary simplicity – vegetarianism (Empedocles against sacrifice, Pythagoras) – not
frequent
•Rejection of sacrifice – rejection of religion (ox made from spices, cakes, wheat)

•Eating raw flesh – omophagia – ritual destruction of animals •Female followers of Dionysos
(inverted pious treatment of meat)


Fish and Gastronomy
•Fish – the finest food
•No heroic or divine association
•Associated with women, boys and seduction
•Athenias avid fish-eaters
•Romans – rotten fish sauce garum - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLDlUGXJMFY
•Piscinarii – Hortensius´ fishponds – retreated from public life to tend to fish

Consumption and Taste
•Criticism of excessive consumption
•Petronius – Satyricon – Trimalchio´s Feast
•Apicius
•Roman simplicity
•Marcus Antonius´ love for banquets (condemnation by Plutarch) – competitions with Cleopatra

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/5219/5219-h/5219-h.htm ; Plutarch – Antony 28

Value Economics
•Elite status – owning land and animals
•Socially acceptable forms of wealth – from agriculture (Cicero – De officiis 1.151) •„There is
nothing more profitable than to take good care of cattle“ Cato, De agricultura 54.5 •Columella – De
re rustica 8.27 – animals impact all aspects of human life – from food to clothing

Prioritizing animal husbandry over agriculture
•Animals – best return of investment – numerous young, grow quickly
•Large animals difficult to maintain, but offspring sold for high prices
•Smaller animals easy to feed (sheep, goats, pigs)
•Big animals – public impression
•Producing animals only for those of high status – big investments, big payoff

•Animals as symbol of status – horses, cattle •Self-sufficiency, substinance, manpower, resources
•Homer – „rich in flocks“/“rich in herds“epithets
•Cattle – currency?
•Latin word pecunia – from pecus - cattle?

Animals and the market
•Sacrificial demand
•Athens – state sponsored sacrifices – 6500 cattle, equal number of sheep, goats, pigs, birds, fish
•Lesser Panathenaia – 9-12 000kg of meat (7200-9600 portions – fed 30 000 people)
•Transport, sale, sacrifice, distribution of meat – boonai „cowboys“ to purchase animals from
private sellers

•Anyone could sell animals to sanctuary – perfect ones – inspectors
•Urban markets – spike at festival times
•Smaller public and private sacrifices
•Complemented by demand for other animal products – wool, cheese, draught animals
•Athens  - sheep – high quality wool
•Sparta – cattle, horses, sheep – larger herds

Delphi
•Sacrifice before consultation – steady demand for animals
•Isolated position
•Later sacred herds (cattle and racehorces) – pastured on sacred land and sold to pilgrims at
sanctuary

Roman markets
•Year-round livestock markets in fixed locations in Rome: Forum Boarium (Bovarium), Forum
Pecuarium, Forum Suarium
•Independent from sacrificial demand
•Romans ate more meat (especially cured pork)
•Goats primarily for milk