Last Monday, the 28th of April, the Catalan Institute of Classical Archaeology hosted the workshop “Foodways and trade in the Roman provinces of Germania: an interdisciplinary approach”, led by post-doctoral researcher Dr Patricia Vandorpe as part of her MSCA project PlantNetGem.
Specialists from different disciplines (archaeozoology, archaeobotany, anthracology and ceramology) and from across Europe were invited to present their latest research on food, trade and cultural exchange in the provinces of Germania inferior and superior during the Roman period.
The one-day workshop began with an official welcome by Dr Alexandra Livarda and Dr Patricia Vandorpe, followed by a presentation by Dr Maaike Groot, archaeozoologist at the Freie Universität of Berlin, on “Foodways, food production and trade in the Roman province of Germania Inferior: an interdisciplinary approach”. This was followed by Prof. Richard Madgwick, archaeozoologist at Cardiff University, on “Feeding the Roman Army in Britain: A Framework for Exploring Provisioning on the Frontiers”. Dr Silke Lange, wood specialist at Archeohout, presented her latest findings on ‘Wooden artefacts from the early Roman fort of Velsen 1: a case study and insights into their spread and origins in the Netherlands and beyond’. Wouter van der Meer, archaeobotanist at BIAX Consult, gave a presentation on “Changes in agriculture in western Germania inferior after the Roman conquest, based on archaeobotanical and palynological data”. After the lunch break, Julie van Kerckhove, ceramologist at Aardewerk & Archeologie, presented her research on “What does pottery provenance, distribution and function say about food consumption? The Dutch villa landscape in the 2nd century AD and the rural Dutch river area after Caesar’s Gallic Wars”. Dr Patricia Vandorpe presented the results of her ongoing Marie Sklodowska-Curie project, “Exploring the Impact of Roman Culinary Traditions in the Northern Roman Empire”.
Despite the national blackout that forced the workshop to be held in different locations, the participants were able to share their thoughts and enjoy a great discussion.
