Food in sanctuaries: Markets and Consumption

The refinement of analysis of faunal remains and organic residues in containers has provided new data on questions concerning sacrifices, offerings, and ritual practice in sanctuaries. It is now possible to investigate issues relating to the life and subsistence of the believers inside the sanctuaries on feast days. What did they eat? In what quantities? Was it dried food they brought with them (e.g., figs, cheese, dried fish), or could they buy fresh and perhaps specially cooked food on site? I would like to discuss further the nature, supply, and demand in these markets: what kind of food was offered for sale, how these transactions were regulated, what prices were set, the origin of the food for sale, and how the goods were handled. In detail, I will examine the consumption of vegetables, fish, meat and liquid, using both literary and epigraphic documentations, and giving greater weight to the archaeological one (e.g. containers and vases, organic residues).