Fish-eating in Greece from the fifth century B.C. to the seventh century A.D. : a story of impoverished fisherman or luxurious fish banquets?

Abstract

Fish-eating in Greece from the firth century B.c. to the seventh century A.D. A story of impoverished fishermen or luxurious fish banquets? The focus of this PhD thesis is fish-eating in Classical Greece. Fish-eating is here perceived as a field of human activity which integrates economic, social and ideological aspects of past societies in Greece. Research into fishing and fish-eating in Classical Greece has been shaped by two major factors: the ab"lmdance of references to fish in ancient Greek literature and the dearth of physical evidence (mostly fish bones) from archaeological excavations, due to the conventional collection methods employed W1til recently. Both these factors have been accepted W1critically and, as a result, relevant research has been either partial or W1satisfactory. The aim of this thesis is to investigate the multiple dimensions of fishing and fish-eating in Classical Greek societies: fish as food, fishing as an occupation, fish-eating as an arena for social distinction and fish as an ideological symbol are some of the diverse, yet interconnected aspects of fishing and fish-eating. This investigation will approach the topic by combining an array of different evidence (e.g. fish remains, literary works, related artifacts) in order to explore the variety of ways in which fish consumption took place in Classical Greece. This variety is viewed as a feature inherent in any society, and a result of the specific combination of historical developments and material, social, and ideological conditions. In order to achieve the above goals, the current study evaluates critically the ideas and methodologies of paleo-economic studies and those developed in the field of Classics, and then seeks alternative, more insightful approaches to the past, aided by anthropological thinking. It takes advantage of developments in the field of the anthropology of consumption and of ideas about food and the senses. Through the study of Classical fish-eating, this thesis aims to contribute to recent attempts to formulate theoretical frameworks and methodologies for the incorporation of such issues within archaeological research.

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