The Roman Food System in Southern Pannonia (Croatia) From the 1st–4th Century A.D.

Abstract

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>Food is an excellent medium through which to explore trade, economies, migration and landscapes, yet little is known about food production and consumption in the Roman province of Pannonia. Here we explore the current evidence for agriculture, trade and diet in southern Pannonia (modern day eastern Croatia) and what this may say about life in the region. The influx of new ‘exotic’ foods and technologies had a profound influence on this region. The limited archaeobotanical data suggests complex trade and local agricultural systems that allowed large towns such as <jats:italic>Mursa</jats:italic>, <jats:italic>Cibalae</jats:italic> and <jats:italic>Siscia</jats:italic> to gain access to a wide range of food items. The large quantities of pottery found not only helps us understand traded goods but also the local tastes and fashions, as well as to infer the types of dishes that could have been cooked. More evidence is clearly needed in this region but what we can see so far is that urban centres along the Danube <jats:italic>Limes</jats:italic> were firmly integrated within the wider Roman food system and that diets were probably quite varied for many who lived there.</jats:p>

Food systems in archaeology. Examining production and consumption in the past

“…Unfortunately, no pollen or archaeobotanical evidence from Pannonia supports this increase in viticulture or land-use change at present (Reed and Ožanić Roguljić 2020). There is evidence of the adoption of the Roman land divisioning system (centuriae) for fields in Pannonia (Const.…”

“…To date the food system framework has only been applied to my own research. Recently I used this way of thinking to discuss the Roman food system in southern Pannonia (modern eastern Croatia) (Reed and Ožanić Roguljić 2020). Historically, research on foodways in the ancient Mediterranean has relied predominantly on the study of ceramic vessels, due to their abundance in the archaeological record.…”

“…We see two main roads running parallel along the Sava and Drava rivers in southern Pannonia and one running along the Danube linking Mursa and Cibalae to Aquincum (Budapest) in the north and Sirmium to the south-east (the capital of the Pannonia Inferior) (Burghardt 1979). The exploitation of these routes by the local inhabitants to gain access to products from around the empire and beyond is evident from the presence of amphorae from Spain, Italy and possibly North Africa, as well as the presence of rice and black pepper, originating from Asia, found in many of the urban centres (Reed and Leleković 2019;Reed and Ožanić Roguljić, 2020;Ožanić Roguljić 2016).…”

“…But there seems to be no other evidence of land management, such as irrigation, beyond utilizing natural water sources (Bödőcs, Kovács and Anderkó 2014). Generally the limited evidence for viticulture in the 1st and 2nd centuries would suggest that grapes were imported to Pannonia, along with wine from Spain and Italy, seen from the range of amphorae recovered from this period (Reed and Ožanić Roguljić 2020). The strong evidence of olive/oil, fig and grape/wine production in neighbouring Dalmatia (Glicksman, 2007) would have provided Pannonia with easy access to such products.…”

“…It is not until the 4th century A.D. that we have evidence of viticulture in Pannonia, an altar from Popovac, about 40 kilometres north of Roman Mursa, dedicated to Liber by Aurelius Constantius and his son Venantius, who were estate owners. Their offering was to help enrich 400 arpenes of vineyards (50 hectares, 500,000 square metres) and, among other things, support his four vine varieties (Cupenis, Terminis, Valle(n)sibus, Caballiori(s)) (Brunšmid 1907, 112-113, 233;Reed and Ožanić Roguljić 2020). No wine presses or agricultural tools have so far been identified or published either, but the altar does support the presence of viticulture in southern Pannonia by the 4th century.…”