Plants and Diet in Greece from Neolithic to Classic Periods

This monograph provides a synthesis of information on Greek food plants recovered mainly through archaeobotanical studies. The principal goal is to present the first diachronic study of the use of vegetal species in the Eastern Aegean region in the period spanning the millennia between the Early Neolithic (ca. 7000 BC) and Classical times (4th century BC). The data compiled here can shed light on several aspects of ancient food and diet, including the geographical and chronological distribution of cereals and legumes, the beginnings of arboriculture in Greece, and the use and symbolic meaning of plants in ancient times.