Bread making and social interactions at the Amarna Workmen's village, Egypt

Abstract

This paper explores the use of food as an indicator of ancient social relations amongst households, using bread preparation in ancient Egypt as a case study. Technological information on bread making gained through a multi‐stranded archaeological approach is applied to an investigation of the Amarna Workmen's village, a short‐lived Pharaonic settlement dating to about 1350 BC. The analysis demonstrates that once supplied with raw ingredients the village households were largely self‐sufficient, but that specific households co‐operated in the production of bread. This case study is first set into context with a discussion of the issues and problems associated with the archaeology of food. A structure is suggested to help approach this complex subject.

Keywords:

• Baking
• archaeology of food
• Ancient Egypt
• emmer wheat
• household archaeology