ABSTRACT

The topic of food and drink in the Etruscan world usually conjures up images of the so-called “banquet.” But outside of the banquet, which we must remember was limited to an elite few, where else do we see evidence of food and drink in Etruria? The habitation sites thus far excavated reveal the use of hearths, cooking stands and other utensils for cooking food; an essential part of daily life in ancient Italy from the Bronze Age onward.1 But do we find evidence of the preparation of food outside of the home? Did food and drink play a role at civic and religious feasts and rituals – and what were the Etruscans eating and drinking on these occasions? Tomb paintings depict banquets, but did loved ones leave food in the tomb as part of the funerary ritual? Deciphering the archaeological record for such an inquiry is challenging to say the least, not only due to the lack of Etruscan literature but also for the food substances that have simply not survived. But new advances in the way in which we interpret material culture coupled with recent studies of food utensils and cooking equipment reveal a broader picture of Etruscan customs surrounding food and drink. This study will not include an analysis of the banquet per se, (which is already covered in this book, see Chapter 44) but rather will focus on the evidence of food and drink outside of the banquet. Of particular interest is how food and drink were incorporated into civic and funerary rituals and how food and their utensils may have communicated status and wealth. Such a study uncovers another dimension to the overall picture of drinking and eating and its significant place in Etruscan life and Afterlife.