Talk by Dr. Tamara Lewit, Honourary Fellow, University of Melbourne

Food gives us a window into the everyday lives of people in the past and reminds us that our own diet can have ancient roots. This presentation looks at what people in the Roman Empire ate and drank, the familiar and the strange, from chickpeas and olive oil to dormice and sparrows. It will explore not only diet but some cultural and religious aspects of what, how, and why different foods were eaten.

Romans had dinner at 3 pm and ate with their fingers from a shared plate. Their bones tell a story of rickets, scurvy and lead poisoning. Wine was mixed with pigeon dung for medicine, and offered to the gods of the household and to the dead. Recipes and poems, mosaics and wall paintings, burials and pottery, plant and animal remains can all contribute to our understanding of the many roles of food and drink in the Roman Empire.

When: 6:30–8pm Wednesday 21 May 2025

Where: CO.AS.IT. Museo Italiano, 199 Faraday Street, Carlton, Victoria

Cost: Free, booking required

For more information and registration: https://www.hellenic.org.au/event-details/pickled-lettuce-boiled-pigeon-amber-wine-eating-like-a-roman

This event is part of a program to celebrate National Archaeology Week, co-presented by The University of Melbourne, Hellenic Museum and CO.AS.IT. Museo Italiano. Visit the program hub to explore other events.

(Image credit: 1st century BCE mosaic floor with fruits, fish and fowl, Palazzo Massimo alle Terme, Rome. Photo Carole Raddato CC BY-SA 2.0)