Papers by Giacomo Casucci
Eating and Drinking in the Ancient Near East. Proceedings of the 67th Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale, Turin, July 12–16, 2021, 2024
Since 2008 the investigations at Uşaklı Hӧyük have aimed at reconstructing in detail the history ... more Since 2008 the investigations at Uşaklı Hӧyük have aimed at reconstructing in detail the history and settlement development of this multi-phase site of the central Anatolian plateau. This paper presents the evidence related to cooking methods spread in central Anatolia during the Late Bronze Age and the Early/Middle Iron Age, with particular emphasis on fire installations and cooking tools found in the recent excavations of Uşaklı Hӧyük. Archaeology supplies a great number of materials and information on cooking and the related pottery and firing equipment: ovens, hearths, andirons, cooking pots and baking plates are a constant presence within the various settlements of the Anatolian plateau. An attempt will be made to identify the functions of the various devices within the different food processing techniques with the aim to reconstruct ancient culinary practices. The morphological analysis of the kitchen utensils and their archaeological context, together with the recent multi-disciplinary approaches (archaeobotanical, zooarchaeological, ethnographic studies, and experimental archaeology), will be able to provide data and information on food preparation and daily cooking life. Therefore, their analysis may also contribute to identifying some general social and economic dynamics, such as processes of crisis and resilience, changes, and continuity in this critical historical period of the Anatolian Plateau and the Ancient Near East.
Asia Anteriore Antica 5 (Asiana), 2023
This paper presents the evidence related to the spread of cooking methods in north-central Anatol... more This paper presents the evidence related to the spread of cooking methods in north-central Anatolia during the Late Bronze and Early and Middle Iron Ages (1650-700 BC), with particular emphasis on fire installations and cooking tools collected during the last century of archaeological activities. Ovens, hearths, andirons, cooking pots, and baking plates are a constant presence within the various settlements of the Anatolian plateau. This essay will reconstruct the history of cuisine and eating customs across the Late Bronze and Iron Ages through archaeological evidence and complementing it with ethnographic research. This approach, indeed, offers extra information on foodways not available in written sources, especially when the latter are lacking or reticent. Finally, the data and information on daily life’s cooking and food preparation will be employed as a lens to identify broader social and economic phenomena prompted by the rise and fall of the Hittite Empire in the heart of the Anatolian Plateau.
Proceedings of the 12th International Congress on the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East 06-09 April 2021, Bologna, Vol. 1, 2023
Food and cooking methods are crucial in defining group identity and social relations, as well as ... more Food and cooking methods are crucial in defining group identity and social relations, as well as in examining domestic economies. This paper aims to study, from a functional and typological point of view, the fire installations and the kitchen wares widespread in central Anatolia during the Late Bronze Age (1650-1200 BC). The archaeological contexts of the main Hittite sites in the Anatolian Plateau have been considered. The analysis and the comparison of the cooking tools (fireplaces, ovens, cooking pots, and baking plates) allow us to obtain additional information about the “Hittite Cuisine”, namely on the cooking techniques and the types of food consumed in the core of Hittite kingdom. Archaeobotanical and archaeozoological data have been integrated with the aim of a better understanding of diets and cooking methods. In addition, some ethnographic observations are discussed, in order to compare ancient and modern cooking practices in Anatolia.
Anatolica 46, 2020
Cooking methods and practices are crucial in defining group identity, in expressing social and ki... more Cooking methods and practices are crucial in defining group identity, in expressing social and kin networks, and in reflecting domestic economies. The paper discusses different types of fire installations from Central Anatolia during the Late Bronze Age in the context of household activities. Hearths and ovens are the two basic types of fire installations attested in the Hittite Period. Construction methods, materials and location are discussed with the aim of tracing the functions of various types of fire installations during the different stages of food preparation (boiling, roasting and baking) and of cereal processing. The interpretations of the functions also include artifacts found in the contexts of these installation (e.g. cooking pots), as well as archaeobotanical and archaeozoological remains accompanying them. In addition, ethnoarchaeological observations from modern Turkey and other places of the Near East have been considered.
Conference Presentations by Giacomo Casucci
Programme of the Winter school: Entangled food history. Mobility
in food cultures from ancient hi... more Programme of the Winter school: Entangled food history. Mobility
in food cultures from ancient history to contemporary times.
In recent years the history of food and nutrition have found considerable development in internat... more In recent years the history of food and nutrition have found considerable development in international academia. If we were students approaching this subject, we might feel confused by the different possible perspectives: we might study a particular food, the ways in which it is cooked, but also the utensils or food exchanges or economic effects, and so on.
It is not always clear where to start from: which sources and methods to use? What are the most innovative approaches and areas of research currently expanding? In short: how can we approach this fascinating field of investigation while maintaining the scientific rigour of historical or archaeological research?
The second edition of Entangled Food Histories: How to Study Food in Archaeology and History will seek to answer these questions.
by Generoso Cefalo, Sofia Miola, Sara Zanotta, Francesco Sorbello, Christopher Calefati, Elisa Lucente, Elena Sofia Capra, Vincenzo Morena, Luca Bertolani Azeredo, Giorgia Proietti, ELISA PAREO, Giacomo Casucci, Federica Bosio, Giovanni Brunetti, and Gianmarco Rossi
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Papers by Giacomo Casucci
Conference Presentations by Giacomo Casucci
in food cultures from ancient history to contemporary times.
It is not always clear where to start from: which sources and methods to use? What are the most innovative approaches and areas of research currently expanding? In short: how can we approach this fascinating field of investigation while maintaining the scientific rigour of historical or archaeological research?
The second edition of Entangled Food Histories: How to Study Food in Archaeology and History will seek to answer these questions.
in food cultures from ancient history to contemporary times.
It is not always clear where to start from: which sources and methods to use? What are the most innovative approaches and areas of research currently expanding? In short: how can we approach this fascinating field of investigation while maintaining the scientific rigour of historical or archaeological research?
The second edition of Entangled Food Histories: How to Study Food in Archaeology and History will seek to answer these questions.