The Ancient Greeks' Diet: The History of Eating and Drinking in Greece

The need to eat and drink is a biological necessity for everyone, but along with that, food and drink are often at the very center of social life. This was no different in ancient Greece, but, if anything, the social importance placed on food and wine in the Greek world was even more pronounced and had profound consequences for the rest of the world. As one modern historian aptly put it, “How classical Athens was fed is not a matter of marginal importance. Nothing less than the material base of a brilliant civilization is at issue.” Indeed, it was through the ability to create a food surplus that the ancient Greeks were able to establish their poleis and, from these, go on to develop the political and social structures that built the backbone of Western Civilization. Drinking for pleasure, as opposed to simply meeting the body´s requirement for hydration, was so crucial in Greece that a couple historians noted, “In a way, the study of the classics is the study of the consumption of alcohol.” While this assertion is an oversimplification, there is no doubt that alcohol played a crucial role in the evolution of Greek culture.