Oil, Wine, and the Cultural Economy of Ancient Greece : From the Bronze Age to the Archaic Era

"Chapter 1 Introduction "There are two liquids most pleasing to human bodies: inside-wine, outside-oil." -Pliny (23-79 CE), Natural History XIV, 29.150 "It is evident that the country now called Hellas had in ancient times no settled population ... without commerce, without freedom of communication either by land or sea, cultivating no more of their territory than the exigencies of life required, destitute of capital, never planting their land ... " -Thucydides (c. 460-400 BCE), History of the Peloponnesian War, 1.2.1-2 Oil, Wine, and Cultural History in Pre-Classical Greece This book aims to explore the centrality of olive oil and wine in various realms of ancient Greek life and how this interdependence came to exist and persist. Indeed, this book argues that oil and wine can be regarded not just as economic commodities, but cultural commodities that actively shaped the paths of ancient Greek history. Cultural commodities can be defined as things that have become deeply entangled with humans through increasing ties of dependency that are reinforced by a high value constructed within multiple contexts of exchange. On the one hand, expansions and contractions of dependencies between people and oil/wine can be seen by tracing shifting emphases in exchange modes-such as commensal, gift, and commercial exchange-within their social and environmental contexts over the long-term"--ISBN : 9781108835640 Cover Half-title page Title page Copyright page Dedication Contents List of Figures List of Maps List of Tables Acknowledgments One Introduction Oil, Wine, and Cultural History in Pre-Classical Greece Oil–Wine, Olives–Vines Cultural Commodities: Dependency, Value, and the Longue Durée Considering Climate Change: Vulnerability, Resilience, and Adaptation The Structure of the Book Two Developing a Relationship of Dependency: Oil and Wine in the Minoan Palatial Era Production of Oil and Wine Modes of Exchange: Commensal, Gift, and Commercial Commensal Exchange: Increasing Scale and Formalization of Feasts Gift Exchange: Ritual and Funerary Gifts Commercial Exchange: Regional and Long Distance Chapter Conclusions Three Controlling the Relationship: Oil and Wine in the Mycenaean Palatial Era Production of Oil and Wine Commensal Exchange: State-Sponsored Feasting Oil and Wine in Gift Exchange Oil and Wine in Commercial Exchange Chapter Conclusions Four Maintaining the Relationship: Oil and Wine in Postpalatial Greece Production of Oil and Wine Modes of Exchange: Commensal, Gift, and Commercial Commensal Exchange: From Regional to Local Gift Exchange: Funerary and Ritual Offerings Commercial Exchange: Simplification and Local Resourcefulness Chapter Conclusions Five Rebuilding the Relationship: Oil and Wine in Early Iron Age Greece Production of Oil and Wine Modes of Exchange in the Early Iron Age Commensal Exchange: Local, Regional, and Ritual Gift Exchange: Funerary Offerings Commercial Exchange: Specialized Amphoras and Interregional Networks Chapter Conclusions Six Expanding the Relationship: Oil and Wine in the Early Archaic Period Production of Oil and Wine Exchanging Oil and Wine in the Archaic Period Commensal Exchange: Communal, Private, AND Ritual Gift Exchange: Deities, Deceased, and the Living Commercial Exchange: Regional Amphoras and Mediterranean Networks Chapter Conclusions Seven Conclusion: Cultural Commodities and the Future of Oil and Wine Dynamic Stability: Shared Values and the Construction of Eliteness Olive Oil and Wine as Cultural Commodities Learning from the Past: Climate Change and the Future of Greek Oil and Wine Notes Bibliography Index "Chapter 1 Introduction "There are two liquids most pleasing to human bodies: inside-wine, outside-oil."--Pliny (23-79 CE), Natural History XIV, 29.150 "It is evident that the country now called Hellas had in ancient times no settled population ... without commerce, without freedom of communication either by land or sea, cultivating no more of their territory than the exigencies of life required, destitute of capital, never planting their land ..." -Thucydides (c. 460-400 BCE), History of the Peloponnesian War, 1.2.1-2 Oil, Wine, and Cultural History in Pre-Classical Greece This book aims to explore the centrality of olive oil and wine in various realms of ancient Greek life and how this interdependence came to exist and persist. Indeed, this book argues that oil and wine can be regarded not just as economic commodities, but cultural commodities that actively shaped the paths of ancient Greek history. Cultural commodities can be defined as things that have become deeply entangled with humans through increasing ties of dependency that are reinforced by a high value constructed within multiple contexts of exchange. On the one hand, expansions and contractions of dependencies between people and oil/wine can be seen by tracing shifting emphases in exchange modes-such as commensal, gift, and commercial exchange-within their social and environmental contexts over the long-term"-- Provided by publisher "In this book, Catherine E. Pratt explores how oil and wine became increasingly entangled in Greek culture, from the Late Bronze Age to the Archaic period. Using ceramic, architectural, and archaeobotanical data, she argues that Bronze Age exchange practices initiated a strong network of dependency between oil and wine production, and the people who produced, exchanged, and used them. After the palatial collapse, these prehistoric connections intensified during the Iron Age and evolved into the large-scale industries of the Classical period. Pratt argues that oil and wine in pre-Classical Greece should be considered 'cultural commodities', products that become indispensable for proper social and economic exchanges well beyond economic advantage. Offering a detailed diachronic account of the changing roles of surplus oil and wine in the economies of pre-classical Greek societies, her book contributes to a broader understanding of the complex interconnections between agriculture, commerce, and culture in the ancient Mediterranean"-- Back cover This book is for readers interested in both ancient history and the history of olive oil and wine. Readers will appreciate this book's in-depth account of the cultural economy of the Greek Bronze and Iron Ages through the lens of olive oil and wine as integral aspects of social and economic exchange.