Food production and Processing in Graeco-Roman Egypt (323 BC – 284 AD) in papyrological and literary sources

The PhD will be written within the framework of the Agros-project: “Agriculture, diet and nutrition in Greco-Roman Egypt. Reassessing ancient sustenance, food processing and (mal)nutrition” (Eos – excellence of science. 40007554), bringing together experts from the diverse fields of ancient history, archaeobotany, archaeozoology, papyrology, Egyptian archaeology, food biochemistry and microbiology, and stable isotope chemistry. The PhD will be devoted to the study of the written sources from Greco-Roman Egypt with respect to food processing, conservation (fermentation, salting), preparation techniques and concrete recipes. In view of the feasibility, the focus will be on the most important foodstuffs that are representative of the most important food processing methods. These will include bread and beer production (which were strongly interrelated in Greco-Roman Egypt), pulses and select fish, meat and dairy products. While the emphasis is on the papyrological sources, other relevant contemporary literary sources will also be consulted. These sources and works will be complemented by and interact with findings from scientific research carried out by other partners of the project.