Consumption, Trade and InnovationStudies of food and foodways are vital to exploring past (and present) cultures. The food remains discovered at the port of Quseir al-Qadim are especially revealing, offering important information about the ancient spice trade and the food practices of those engaged in this trade. Quseir al-Qadim acted as a transhipment port in the Indian Ocean spice trade during both the Roman and medieval Islamic periods. It is located on the Red Sea coast of Egypt and was active between ca. AD 1-250 (Myos Hormos) and again during ca. AD 1050-1500 (Kusayr). This monograph describes the analysis and interpretation of the botanical remains (foodstuffs, wood) recovered during the excavations that took place between 1999-2003, conducted by the University of Southampton, UK. The spectacular preservation conditions at Quseir al-Qadim meant that food remains and wood were found in abundance, including fragments of onion skin, citrus rind, garlic cloves, aubergine seeds, banana skins, wooden bowls, spoons and combs, as well as many of the Eastern spices traded through the port, such as black pepper, ginger, cardamom and betelnut. These remains are fully analysed and discussed under three overarching themes: trade, agricultural innovation and food consumption. The results provide significant new evidence for the Eastern trade and for the changes in agriculture that indirectly resulted from it. They also allow real insights into the lives of those working in the ports. They show the changes in the nature and scale of the Indian Ocean trade between the Roman and Islamic periods, as well as a major shift in the way the inhabitants of the ports saw themselves and located themselves in the wider world. Richly illustrated and thought-provoking, this volume identifies how studies of food enable fuller dialogues regarding 'globalization' and also highlights clearly the importance of food in the dynamics of cultural identity and geopolitics. |
Contents
1 Introduction | 1 |
2 Spices Culinary and Medicinal Commodities | 39 |
3 Summer Crops FromTrade to Innovation | 75 |
Colour Plates | 121 |
4 Food and Foodways Patterns of Everyday Life | 139 |
5 Woodworking and Firewood Resource Exploitation | 205 |
6 Myos Hormos and Kusayr Different Worlds | 227 |
Appendices | 239 |
List of Figures | 279 |
List of Tables | 281 |
List of Colour Plates | 282 |
| 283 | |
| 303 | |
Common terms and phrases
Acacia Africa agricultural already analysis animals appear archaeological areas artefacts assemblage barley bean Berenike botanical brought century cereal chaff changes Chapter citron Citrus common consumed consumption contain context cotton crops cultivation deposits desiccated discussed documents durum wheat early East Eastern Egypt evidence example excavations fava beans finds fragments fruit grain identified important India indicates introduced Islamic period known Kusayr late latter lime listed material mentioned midden Mons myrobalan needed Nile nuts occupation occur origin pepper Phase plants Plate port possibly present probably production quantities Quseir al-Qadim race radiocarbon range rare recipes records recovered refer region remains represent rice Roman Roman period samples seeds ships skin Sorghum bicolor species spices stones sugar suggests summer Table texts tion trade Trench Triticum vegetables watermelon wood