 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
The Forschungskolleg Humanwissenschaften: Events
Thursday, 16 May 2024, 11:00Forschungskolleg Humanwissenschaften, Am Wingertsberg 4, 61348 Bad Homburg
Forschungskolleg Humanwissenschaften of Goethe University
FKH colloquium
Joanita Vroom
»A Labor of Food: Food-related Occupations in Byzantium and the Islamic World (ca. 5th to 11th c.)«
Abstract
Food is a hugely important aspect of human life, both past and present, as is the labor related to food. In this colloquium paper, I intend to discuss relevant literary sources concerning (food-related) labor in the Byzantine Empire and the (Early) Islamic world in combination with archaeological evidence of public food processing, distribution, and commerce in the (eastern) Mediterranean and the Near East. In doing so, I will cover the period between ca. 400 and 1000 CE. The focus will be specifically on occupations of professional food processing and food service in urban centers, among which Constantinople (present-day Istanbul) and Fustat (old Cairo). Consequently, this paper will touch upon the fragility of pre-industrial life in the regions under study as well.
The speaker
Joanita Vroom is Professor of the Archaeology of Medieval and Early Modern Eurasia at the Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University (NL). She takes a particular interest in the socio-economic (production and distribution) and cultural aspects (cuisine and eating habits) of material culture (including ceramics) in these Post-Roman societies, and is series editor of the »Medieval and Post-Medieval Mediterranean Archaeology Series« (MPMAS) at Brepols Publishers (Turnhout). In January and May 2024 she is, at the invitation of Hagit Nol, Junior Professor of Islamic Archaeology, Goethe University Frankfurt am Main. Her stay is supported by the project »Islamic Archaeology and Art History« (IAAH) funded by the VolkswagenStiftung.
Participation
Closed event. Contact: Beate Sutterlüty; email: b.sutterluety@forschungskolleg-humanwissenschaften.de).
