Home News and Events News

 

Quality of Life in the Desert? High Living in Rome's Distant Quarries September 9, 2002 at Morning (Morning sessions run from 09.30- 12.30) Dr Marijke van der Veen, Senior Lecturer in Archaeology, University of Leicester School of Archaeology & Ancient History Leicester  LE1 7RH  UK  telephone: + 44 (0)116 - 252 2611 fax: + 44 (0)116 - 252 5005 email: mvdv1@leicester.ac.uk Session organiser: The BA Archaeology and Anthropology Section Key finding of the work The distance and remote location of the quarry complexes did not affect the food supply  The workers had access not to a meagre diet of a few staples, but instead had access to a wide range of foods (staples and luxuries, plus locally produced greens and some meat)  The supply was a complex mixture of central organisation and private enterprise  Changes in the supply over time mirror the rise and waning of the quarry complexes, and this, in turn, reflects developments within the wider Roman Empire.  What is new and interesting about this research Ancient texts suggest that the Romans used slaves and conscripts in the mines, and it was assumed that this was also the case at these quarry sites. Furthermore, the remote and desert location of the quarry complexes and consequent long supply routes were expected to have had a detrimental effect on the quality of the diet at these sites. The excavations revealed through the artefacts, food remains and texts that here a salaried workforce was used. The men were given both food in kind and a salary with which they purchased further foods and other goods. The foods recovered during the excavations reveal variety and the presence of luxuries. In terms of diet, quality of life was achieved despite the desert location. How it is important to a general audience The functioning of the food economy is central to our understanding of the origin and development of specialist technologies, a process fundamental to our present industrial society. The outcome of this project goes beyond the specifics of the case study, and illustrates the role of imperialism (expansive politics; exploitative economies in the new regions; monumental ambition and decay) and how logistics were met (distance from imperial capital; ecological factors; rise of specialised industries – what did the workforce eat?). The next step in this research The research outlined above has lead to an interest in the role of food in the creation of social and cultural identities, and I am presently working on a cross-cultural analysis of luxury foods, as well as on the Roman and Mamluk spice trade (analysing remains recovered during the excavations at the port of Quseir on the Red Sea coast of Egypt, from which this trade was conducted). The data from Mons Claudianus have been published as specialist reports, those from Mons Porphyrites are in preparation (see below). I am preparing a book to bring the results of the two projects together for a wider readership and place them in the wider context of Roman imperialism. Hamilton-Dyer, S. 2001.Chapter 9: The faunal remains. In V. A. Maxfield and D. P. S. Peacock (eds.) Survey and Excavations at Mons Claudianus 1987-1993. Volume 2: The Excavations: Part 1. Cairo, Institut Français d’Archéologie Orientale du Caire: Documents de Fouilles 43, pp. 251-301. Hamilton-Dyer, S. forthcoming. The faunal remains. In V. A. Maxfield and D. P. S. Peacock (eds.) Survey and Excavations at Mons Porphyrites 1994-1998. Volume 2: Excavations and Finds. London, Egypt Exploration Society.  Van der Veen, M. 2001. The botanical evidence. In V. A. Maxfield and D. P. S. Peacock (eds.) Survey and Excavations at Mons Claudianus 1987-1993. Volume 2: The Excavations: Part 1. Cairo, Institut Français d’Archéologie Orientale du Caire: Documents de Fouilles 43, pp. 174-247. Van der Veen, M. forthcoming. Food, fodder and fuel at Mons Porphyrites: the botanical evidence. In V. A. Maxfield and D. P. S. Peacock (eds.) Survey and Excavations at Mons Porphyrites. Volume 2: Excavations and Finds. London, Egypt Exploration Society.  Others working in this specific area Ms. Sheila Hamilton-Dyer, University of Southampton Prof. V. Maxfield, University of Exeter Prof. D. Peacock, University of Southampton  Details of the presentation Quality of Life in the Desert? High Living in Rome’s Distant Quarries. Marijke van der Veen Environmental archaeology has revealed that the workforce at two Roman quarry complexes in a remote part of the Egyptian desert had an excellent diet, overturning old preconceptions. A reconstruction of the food supply to these sites provides insights into the nature of Roman imperialism. Introduction Deep in a remote part of the Red Sea Mountains, in the Eastern Desert of Egypt, lie two large Roman quarry complexes, Mons Claudianus and Mons Porphyrites, dating to the first four centuries AD. Associated with the settlements of the quarry workers are large rubbish dumps, which contained a veritable feast for environmental archaeologists.  The stone quarried at Mons Claudianus was a grey granodiorite of such high quality that entire columns could be extracted in a single piece. Examples of these remarkable objects can still be seen in the portico of the Pantheon in Rome, built by Emperor Hadrian. At Mons Porphyrites purple porphyry was quarried. This stone is found nowhere else in the world and was highly sought after, because purple is the imperial colour. Porphyry was usually employed in smaller projects, such as statues and busts. Archaeological survey and excavations were carried out at these two sites between 1989 and 1998 by an international team of scholars. My contribution to the project concerned the reconstruction of the food supply, by analysing food remains recovered from the rubbish deposits. Because of their remote location it had long been assumed that a posting to work in these imperial stone quarries would have meant hard labour and a poor diet. A well-balanced diet The extreme aridity of the desert has ensured the survival of organic remains in embarrassing richness. Excavation of the rubbish dumps recovered a complete basket, leather shoes, cord and rope, as well as animal and fish bones, fruits, seeds, chaff and straw. Samples of these deposits were sieved and analysed and the range of species recorded and quantified. The food remains found reveal that far from living on a staple diet of a few cereals, pulses, dates and occasional meat, the workers and soldiers (the quarries were administered by the army) had access to many of the foods that were available in the Nile valley. We found evidence of some 55 different food plants and 20 sources of animal protein. (The faunal remains are being analysed by Sheila Hamilton-Dyer.)  Typical staples were wheat, lentils, dates, onions, garlic, olives, coriander, donkey meat and wine, all brought in from the Nile valley, as well as fish from the Red Sea. The luxuries— here defined as foods that are desirable but not essential for human nutrition—included artichoke, hazelnuts, walnuts, pine nuts, pomegranate, almonds, grapes, figs, water-melon, melon, cucumber, and even black pepper imported all the way from India!  The most surprising find was the evidence for green vegetables: seeds of lettuce, mint, cress, leaf beet and especially cabbage. The presence of these seeds can only point to one thing: gardening. The workers and soldiers must have preferred their greens fresh, rather than wilted after a week’s journey through the desert. The vitamin C and iron content of these vegetables would, incidentally, have been necessary to enable the men to do the heavy manual work needed in the quarries.  Documents found at the site confirm the presence of gardens: they talk about the need for water, dung and seeds, and include letters mentioning the request for or delivery of vegetables, including cabbage. No evidence, however, has been found of the garden plots themselves, which presumably have been washed away by the region’s periodic floods. Fodder and fuel The supply routes were long and arduous. In antiquity the journey from the Nile valley would have taken about five days to Mons Claudianus and eight days to Mons Porphyrites. There were way-stations along the road—the motels of the Roman world—where man and beast could eat, drink, and rest. Camels and donkeys were used to transport food and water to the sites, and to bring the stone to the Nile valley. These animals needed to be fed too, as the local desert vegetation was not sufficient for animals carrying a heavy burden. Analysis of their droppings has provided evidence of their diet: barley grain, chaff and straw. It is clear that the supply of fodder equalled that of food for humans, both in quantity and in importance. Furthermore, chaff and straw were also used to temper wall-plaster for the settlement, and were used extensively as fuel in the hearths and ovens in the kitchen. The local desert trees and shrubs were another source of fuel, but, additionally, huge quantities of charcoal (Acacia nilotica) were imported from the Nile valley.  Imperial achievement This archaeological project has underlined the sheer technical and administrative achievements of the Roman Empire, and the extent to which the emperors were prepared to invest heavily in bolstering their own prestige, in this case by acquiring top-quality stone for their grand building projects in Rome. Our research demonstrates that no expense was spared to keep the workforce happy. Moreover, these results also provide the first evidence for the role of the food economy in underpinning the origin and development of early specialist technology, a process fundamental to our present industrial society. Back to News Back to index

Last updated: 11 September 2002 17:00
Created by: Rachel Tunstall
This document has been approved by the head of department or section.
If you are an authorised user you may edit this document through your Web browser.