Wild and Cultivated Vegetables, Herbs and Spices in Greek Antiquity (900 B.C. to 400 B.C.)

Abstract

The number of vegetables, herbs and spices that have been recovered from Greek archaeological contexts (dated between 900 and 400 B.C.) allow a discussion of the status of these plants. Although not all plants are preserved equally well or recovered systematically, it is clear that a variety of vegetables, herbs and spices was known and widely used in antiquity. Literary references to these species need to be studied with reference to their archaeobotanical evidence. This paper summarises the data currently known for the remains of vegetables, herbs and spices, retrieved from historical contexts, together with literary evidence (when it is available).