ELLEN SILJEDAHL

The Swedish Institute in Rome Annual Fellowship, Archaeology and Classical Studies

Foodways is one of the most powerful media for expressing identity, both in the past and present. The food and drink consumed in ancient societies, as well as customs and practices related to foodways can provide us with important clues about the social, cultural and economic conditions in past times. The purpose of my PhD project Farmhouse, townhouse and the kitchen sink are to examine foodways and diet in relation to ethnic identity in pre-Roman Italy, focusing on the regions of Etruria, Samnium and Latium. By comparing diet and food customs in different regions, it becomes possible to approach questions about ethnic and social identity from new perspectives.
My study is focused on what we would call everyday life, the daily activities related to food and drink visible in the archaeological record. Therefore, the study will focus on household contexts and domestic environments: the primary materials for the study are archeobotanical and faunal material as well as the pottery used of storing, preparing, cooking and consuming.