Abstract
Examining the evidence for millet in the Roman empire, during the period, circa 753 bc–610 ad, presents a number of challenges: a handful of scant mentions in the ancient surviving agrarian texts, only a few fortuitous preserved archaeological finds and limited archaeobotanical and isotopic evidence. Ancient agrarian texts note millet’s ecological preferences and multiple uses. Recent archaeobotanical and isotopic evidence has shown that millet was being used throughout the Roman period. The compiled data suggests that millet consumption was a more complex issue than the ancient sources alone would lead one to believe. Using the recent archaeobotanical study of Insula VI.I from the city of Pompeii, as a case study, the status and role of millet in the Roman world is examined and placed within its economic, cultural and social background across time and space in the Roman world.
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Acknowledgments
The author’s current research is supported by the ERC ComPAg pathways project (grant no. 323842). Anglo-American Project in Pompeii (AAPP) directors, Dr. Rick Jones and Dr. Damian Robinson for the use of Insula VI.1 images and archaeological information. AAPP environmental specialists staff including Dr. Andrew Jones, Dr. Jane Richardson and Dr. Robyn Veal, project manager Dr. Hillary Cool, coin specialist Dr. Richard Hobbs, and field director Dr. Michael Anderson. Thanks to Pietro Giovanni Guzzo (Soprintendente), Antonio D’Ambrosio, the helpful custodi and laboratory staff of the Soprintendenza Archeologica di Pompei, particularly the late Annamaria Ciarallo for the kind use of the laboratory facilities over the course of the AAPP field seasons in Pompeii. D.Q. Fuller for comments on the manuscript. And finally, an anonymous reviewer for their helpful comments.
