We are what we eat: Exploring the formation of provincial identities through meat production and consumption in the Roman Empire

Abstract

This thesis explores the formation of provincial identities within the Roman Empire through the lens of meat production and consumption. By integrating literary sources and zooarchaeological data, it examines how the consumption of cattle, caprines, and pigs contributed to the construction of communal identities in various provinces, specifically Italia, Hispania Tarraconensis, and Germania Inferior. The research delves into the symbolic significance of these animals in Roman literature, alongside regional patterns of animal husbandry, to assess the cultural and economic implications of meat consumption on provincial self-perception and identity within the broader Roman context.