International Conference
Food, Identity and
Cross-cultural Exchanges in Classical Antiquity
Ghent, Thu. 15th - Fri. 16th, 2011
Organization:
Ghent University, Roman Society Research Center
and University of Exeter, Department of Classics and Ancient History
Introduction
This conference is asserting that one food culture never appears ex nihilo nor independently from foreign culinary cultures and influences. We would like to go further than moralistic discourses on foreign food and the concept of decadence, luxury, barbarisation and try to understand how dietetic concepts, foreign ingredients, cuisine, table manners and cooking techniques are integrated in Greek and Roman cuisine/culture and understand where the truth lies in ethnic presumptions. Food items, cuisine and eating behaviours remain vectors of cultural and social identity. Therefore, we explore how foreign food choices, cuisine and behaviours are considered, interpreted, reinterpreted, recontextualized and/or given new semantic significations in a welcoming culture. But, instead of exploring this phenomenon with such concepts as "acculturation", "hellenisation", "romanisation", we propose instead the concept of cross-cultural exchanges. In sum, is there one very distinct and stereotyped Greek and Roman eating culture or is it a dynamic food culture opened and influenced by foreign cultures? The aim of this conference is to show how Ancient Greece and Rome, though great civilizations, were strongly influenced by foreign cultures and incorporated exogenous elements to make life easier. Foreign cuisine, foodstuffs and customs could also be re-contextualized, given a new sense in the welcoming culture. We will study how this was done and how people justified it. Borrowing never implied a loss of identity by itself, but implied new possibilities added to old customs and incorporated in daily life. The loss or gain of identity are, both, a creation of discourses following a political or ideological agenda; the influence of a foreign culture is not, in itself, positive or negative. If a practice was adopted, it served a purpose and made sense to the users. It could also be used to project one’s social selfimage.
Program
Thursday 15/12/2011
- 9h: Welcome and introduction
- 9.30: Dr. Emmanuel Botte (Rome, Italy), “L’exploitation du thon dans la Sicile grecque d’époque classique et hellénistique : transfert culturel d’origine punique ou innovation technologique ?”, botte.manu@wanadoo.fr
- 10 Prof. Nicholas Purcell (Oxford, UK), “Metellus Pius’ Pontifical Dinner in Macrobius” Nicholas.Purcell@sjc.ox.ac.uk
- 10.30: Coffee break
- 11 Mrs. Julie Delamard (Rome, Italy), “Le plat du jour : daily used wares and identities in Greek Archaic Siciliy” Julie.delamard@gmail.com
- 11.30 Mr. Scott Gallimore (Sackville NB, Canada), “Creticum Vinum Excellens: The Distribution of Cretan Wine in the Roman Empire” sgallimore@mta.ca
- 12 : Discussion
12.30-14: Lunch
- 14 Dr. Éric Morvillez (Avignon, France), TBA eric.morvillez@univ-avignon.fr
- 14.30 Prof. Andrew Wallace-Hadrill (Cambridge, UK),TBA aw479@sid.cam.ac.uk
- 15: Coffee Break
- 15.30 Miss. Laure Passet (Lyon, France), “Eating and Barbarians in the Roman Republic” laurepasset@yahoo.fr
- 16 Mr. Stéphane Solier (Nice, France), “Barbarians and Christian Apologetics” stephanesolier@yahoo.fr
- 16.30 Prof. Ulrike Krotscheck (Olympia WA, USA), “Wine, Bread, and ‘Colonization’: Coexistence at the Western Edge of the Greek World” ulrikek@evergreen.edu
- 17: Discussion
- 17.30: End of sessions
Friday 16/12/2011
- 9.30 Dr. Robin Nadeau (Exeter, UK), “Chicken à la perse in Ancient Greece” R.Nadeau@exeter.ac.uk
- 10 Prof. John Wilkins (Exeter, UK), “Foreign Influences on Greek Dietetics” J.M.Wilkins@exeter.ac.uk
- 10.30 Coffee break
- 11 Prof. Annette Rathje (Copenhagen, Denmark), “Eating Behaviours in Early Rome, Etruria, and beyond” rathje@hum.ku.dk
- 11.30 Prof. Dennis E. Smith (Tulsa OK, USA), “Dining with the ‘Others’ in Earliest Christianity” Dennis.Smith@ptstulsa.edu
- 12: Discussion
12.30-14: Lunch
- 14 Dr. Wim Broekaert (Ghent, Belgium), “Imitatio and aemulatio in the Soldiers’ Kitchen. Trade Route and Consumption Patterns along the Limes” wim.broekaert@ugent.be
- 14.30 Prof. Konrad Vössing (Bonn, Germany), “The Order of the Guests in Greek, Roman and 'Barbarian' Banquets - Differences and Analogies”, voessing@uni-bonn.de
- 15 Prof. Jeroen Poblome (Leuven, Belgium), “Food Consumption in Düzen Tepesi and Sagalassos”
- 15.30 Coffee break
- 16.00 Discussion
17: End of sessions
Registration and practicalities
Registration
Participation is free.
For practical reasons please register with Wim.Broekaert@UGent.be.
If you want to join us for lunch please notify us before Dec. 5th and specify on which days. The price for lunch will be 10 euro for each conference day.
for any further information contact Wim.Broekaert@UGent.be
Conference location
Het Pand
Zaal rector Vermeylen
Onderbergen 1
9000 Gent
For address and travel directions see https://www.ugent.be/het-pand/nl