100,000+ Books, Games & Puzzles in-stock πŸ‡³πŸ‡Ώ

Overnight NZ-wide delivery on in-stock orders πŸš€

Food in the Ancient World

3.55 goodreads logo

Ratings/reviews counts are updated frequently.

Check link for latest rating.
( 44 ratings, 5 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Food in the Ancient World is a compelling exploration of ancient eating and drinking across cultures including Greece, Rome, Persia, Egypt, and the Celts. Co-authored by a classicist and a renowned chef, it spans a thousand years, revealing how food shaped social hierarchies, moral philosophy, and daily life. Readers encounter everything from humble diets of cereals and chickpeas to lavish feasts of the elite, religious sacrifices, and ancient recipes, transporting them from Syria to Spain and the steppes of Russia to North Africa.
Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$8099
AVAILABLE WITH SUPPLIER Ships from our Auckland warehouse within 3-4 weeks

Found a better price? Request a price match

Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book is well suited for readers interested in classics, history, gastronomy, and culture, as well as educators and students seeking a thorough yet engaging overview of ancient food practices.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

In Food in the Ancient World, a respected classicist and a practising world-class chef explore a millennium of eating and drinking. * Explores a millennium of food consumption, from c. 750 BC to 200 AD. * Shows the pivotal role food had in a world where it was linked with morality and the social order.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

In Food in the Ancient World, a respected classicist and a practising world-class chef explore a millennium of eating and drinking. The book focuses on ancient Greece and Rome but also looks at Persian, Egyptian, Celtic, and other cultures.

It embraces people from all walks of life, from impoverished citizens subsisting on cereals, chickpeas, and even locusts, to the meat-eating elites whose demands drove advances in gastronomy. The authors reveal how foodβ€”used to uphold the social system and linked by philosophers to moral characterβ€”played a pivotal role in the ancient world.

They describe religious sacrifices, ancient dinner parties and drinking bouts, as well as exotic foods and recipes. Extending from Syria to Spain, and from the steppes of Russia to the deserts of North Africa, this evocative account gives readers a taste of the ancient world.

Series: Ancient Cultures

View all
  • Ancient Babylonian Medicine
    Utilizing a great variety of previously unknown cuneiform tablets, Ancient Babylonian Medicine: Theory and Practice examines the way medicine was practiced by various Babylonian professionals of the 2nd and 1st millennium B.C. Represents the first overview of Babylonian medicine utilizing cuneiform sources, including archives of court letters, medical recipes, and commentaries written by ancient scholars. Attempts to reconcile the ways...
    Paperback
    $5999
    Available
    Ships in 3-4 weeks
  • Sport and Spectacle in the Ancient World
    The second edition of Sport and Spectacle in the Ancient World updates Donald G. Kyle's award-winning introduction to this topic, covering the Ancient Near East up to the late Roman Empire. It challenges traditional scholarship on sport and spectacle in the Ancient World and debunks claims that there were no sports before the ancient Greeks. This edition explores the cultural...
    Paperback
    $10099
    Available
    Ships in 3-4 weeks
  • Food in the Ancient World
    In Food in the Ancient World, a respected classicist and a practising world-class chef explore a millennium of eating and drinking. The book focuses on ancient Greece and Rome but also looks at Persian, Egyptian, Celtic, and other cultures. It embraces people from all walks of life, from impoverished citizens subsisting on cereals, chickpeas, and even locusts, to the meat-eating...
    Paperback
    $8099
    Available
    Ships in 3-4 weeks
  • Spartans
    Spartans: A New History chronicles the complete history of ancient Sparta from its origins to the end of antiquity. Helps bridge the gap between the common conceptions of Sparta and what specialists believe and dispute about Spartan history. Applies new techniques, perspectives, and archaeological evidence to the question of what it was to be a Spartan. Takes into account new...
    Paperback
    $7599
    Available
    Ships in 3-4 weeks

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Praised as "a fascinating tour through Greek and Roman eating habits" by The Guardian, the book draws commendation from BBC History Magazine for its learned yet enjoyable style and its insightful parallels between ancient and modern food cultures. Matthew Fort from The Guardian calls it "a delight in every sense," rich with information and passion. Susan Alcock from Brown University highlights its clarity and comprehensive introduction to a vital aspect of ancient life.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780631235514

Publisher: John Wiley and Sons Ltd

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 13 December 2005

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Wiley-Blackwell

Audience: Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 18.0mm

Width: 154.0mm

Height: 229.0mm

Weight: 454g

Pages: 320

About the Author

John M. Wilkins is Professor of Greek Culture at the University of Exeter. He is the author of Euripides: Heraclidae (1993) and The Boastful Chef: The Discourse of Food in Ancient Greek Comedy (2000) and has edited several books on Greek literature and food in the ancient world.


Shaun Hill is Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Exeter. He is chef and former owner of the Michelin-starred Merchant House and works as an independent food writer. His books include Cooking at the Merchant House (2000), How to Cook Better (2004), and Cook (with others, 2005).


John Wilkins and Shaun Hill have co-written several books and articles including Archestratus: The Life of Luxury (1994)

More from Education & Reference

View all
  • Revenge of the Tipping Point
    Twenty-five years after the publication of his groundbreaking first book, Malcolm Gladwell returns with a brand new volume that reframes the lessons of The Tipping Point in a startling and revealing light. What does the heartbreaking fate of the cheetah tell us about the way we raise our children? Why do elite universities care so much about sports? What is...
    Paperback
    $2999
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    (1)
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • The Body Keeps the Score
    The Body Keeps the Score by Dr Bessel van der Kolk is a compelling and compassionate exploration of the deep-seated impact of trauma on the human body and mind. This groundbreaking work delves into the complex causes of trauma and paints a vivid picture of the revolutionary treatments that are enabling countless individuals to reclaim their lives filled with purpose...
    Paperback
    $2400
    Elsewhere:
    $3000
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • New Release
    The Age Code
    What if the food you eat could rewind your biological clock? 'Clear and compelling' β€” Chris van Tulleken 'Really interesting and insightful' β€” Joe Wicks 'Fascinating' β€” Tim Spector From the rising incidence of cancer in the under-50s to increased infertility rates, there are signs everywhere that growing numbers of us are ageing too quickly. Why? Many believe there’s one...
    Paperback
    $2999
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Signed Copy
    New Release
    "What Were You Thinking!?"
    Everything parents need to know about their baby, child or teen's developing brain to raise resilient, emotional intelligent kids, by globally renowned neuroscience educator Nathan Wallis. 'What were you thinking!?'If you've ever asked this in despair while watching a toddler melt down, a tween push boundaries or a teenager make a truly terrible decision, this book is for you.InΒ "What Were...
    Paperback
    $3299
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • New Release
    One Last Question, Prime Minister
    From Muldoon to Luxon, untold stories from the House of Parliament Barry Soper has spent close to five decades questioning New Zealand's prime ministers.From the imposing, larger-than-life characters of Rob Muldoon and David Lange, to the golden age of Helen Clark and John Key, and the post-Covid era of Jacinda Ardern and the 'Chrises', Soper's insight and nose for a...
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    (6)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • New Release
    Regime Change
    From the two reporters who have covered him more closely than perhaps anyone else over the past decade comes this definitive portrait of Donald Trump in the White House and the first year of his second presidency. Based on hundreds of interviews and unprecedented reporting from deep within the administration’s most closely guarded rooms, Regime Change takes the reader into...
    Paperback
    $3299
    Elsewhere:
    $4299
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • New Release
    2027 Witch's Diary - Southern Hemisphere
    From the bestselling authors of Spellcasting, which has now sold over 250,000 copies worldwide, comes the essential witchy journal to plan your days, harness magick, and connect with higher powers. Features include: 8" x 6" (8" x 12" open) Beautiful glossy gold gatefold cover Compact size, perfect to carry in your bag and keep on you throughout the day 12-month...
    Paperback
    $1999
    Elsewhere:
    $2299
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Signed Copy
    Go Hard or Go Home
    From the front bench to rock bottom:Β Go Hard or Go HomeΒ is Kiri Allan's fearless memoir of ambition, disruption and survival in NZ politics and beyond. Kiri Allan's six-year political career spanned some of the most challenging times in recent history. Events a government might encounter once in a generation stacked up: a terrorist attack, a volcanic eruption, destructive and deadly...
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $4000
    Pre-order
    Out 4 Aug 2026
  • Roadmap to Property Success
    Ready to ditch the 9-to-5 and build lasting wealth through property? In Roadmap to Property Success, seasoned investor and coach Steve Goodey shares the exact strategies that helped him – and thousands of Kiwis – build sustainable property portfolios from scratch. With real-life lessons, hard-won wisdom, and zero sugar-coating, this is your no-BS guide to property investing in New Zealand....
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • New Release
    Suicidal Empathy
    The bestselling author of The Parasitic Mind shows why empathy in politics leads to civilizational collapse. What happens when a society elevates victimhood to a virtue and decides that punishment is cruel? You get the disease Dr. Gad Saad calls suicidal empathy. And the West may be terminally infected. In his new book, Suicidal Empathy, Saad unleashes a blistering critique...
    Paperback
    $3099
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Man's Search For Meaning
    Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl is a profound, thought-provoking memoir and psychological exploration that delves into the harrowing experiences of life in Nazi concentration camps, intertwined with the author’s groundbreaking theories on existential psychology. The book is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit, offering a beacon of hope and a roadmap for finding purpose...
    Paperback
    $1800
    Elsewhere:
    $2100
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • How Will I Ever Get Through This?
    'Dr Lucy's unpacking of the grief that comes with living losses was a lightbulb moment for me.' Ellidy Pullin 'The best work I know on positive psychology and grief is Lucy Hone's.' Martin Seligman 'Lucy's insights are practical, wise, and deeply human - they stay with you long after you read them.' Chelsea Pottenger From bestselling author and TED speaker...
    Paperback
    $3299
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    In Stock
    Ships today

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.

Our Gifting Service

Our Gifting Service

Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.