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Grains in the Ancient World

Pertinax

Entry posted by Pertinax

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A coincidence of two items leads me to post a little about grain conssumption in the ancient world. Northern Neil fortuitously got hold of some spelt (red wheat) bread from a local (to ourselves) supermarket chain, this particular loaf is very different to any off the shelf product in mass usage.I am presently also writing a review of grain supply vis a vis famine in the classical world, and was struck by the frequency of grain shortages (as opposed to outright famine)

A couple of slices of spelt loaf are very filling , but do not leave the consumer either bloated or tired ie: complex protein endosperm and slow burn long chain carbs , the grain is impermeable to pests and (nowadays) insecticidal pollution. It struck me that the working man (or slave) who ate this bread along with aioli (garlic/olive oil ) spread would be well set up to avoid any sort of systemic poisoning, especially via amoebic/flagellate/nemotode parasitic incursion (nemotode=worms).

This most basic of dietary regimes would be beneficial also for the modern obsession with "fibre" to make the peristaltic action of the gut wall easier , and teeth would be less llikely to be carious. I now also understand why the Army used barley as a punishment ration-it was the fallback staple for the peasant in hard times , and to have to subsist on this grain would be both tedious and a humiliating reminder of rural poverty. So the observation that the Roman soldiery "just" ate porridge and bread and then marched all day does not now strike me as totally ridiculous , especially if rich Imperialist tidbits could be added to this basic fare.

 

"True Roman bread, for true Romans".

http://www.unrv.com/forum/index.php?act=mo...si&img=1268

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DecimusCaesar

Interesting Info! Didn't soldiers (perhaps in the eastern Empire) subsist on a diet that included onions, bread and perhaps cheese? Or was this for the Byzantine Era. I'm sure I've read it somewhere before. Either way, all hail the announcer!

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Moonlapse

A little bit of trivia:

 

The 56 heaviest-seeded wild grasses make up less than 1% of all grasses. 32 of these are native to the Mediterranean zone. The next highest concentration is East Asia with 6.

 

Blumler, M. (1992) Seed Weight and Environment in Mediterranean-Type Grasslands in California and Israel

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Gaius Octavius

Interesting Info! Didn't soldiers (perhaps in the eastern Empire) subsist on a diet that included onions, bread and perhaps cheese? Or was this for the Byzantine Era. I'm sure I've read it somewhere before. Either way, all hail the announcer!

 

The forerunner of modern pizza.

 

I thought that the Roman soldier was fed meat at least once a day?

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Pertinax

Interesting Info! Didn't soldiers (perhaps in the eastern Empire) subsist on a diet that included onions, bread and perhaps cheese? Or was this for the Byzantine Era. I'm sure I've read it somewhere before. Either way, all hail the announcer!

 

The forerunner of modern pizza.

 

I thought that the Roman soldier was fed meat at least once a day?

 

The analysed garbage from around military sites on the Wall (and the Antonine) certainly reveals a prodigious amount of animal bones, from many species-id suspect therefore that whilst the issue of meat rations is an uncertain thing (in terms of ability to supply consistently) , the supplementation of the basic diet with meats via trade or hunting is certain(in Brittania).Dont forget here the Vindolanda attestation as regards seafood.

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