Olive cultivation in ancient Greece

313 Pages·2007·3.69 MB·English

by  Lin Foxhall

OLIVE CULTIVATION IN ANCIENT GREECE
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Olive Cultivation in
Ancient Greece:
Seeking the Ancient
Economy
LIN FOXHALL
1
3
GreatClarendonStreet,Oxfordox26dp
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Firstpublished2007
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Foxhall,Lin.
OlivecultivationinancientGreece:seekingtheancienteconomy/LinFoxhall.
p. cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN 978–0–19–815288–0
1. Agriculture,Ancient–Greece. 2. Olive–Greece–History. 3. Oliveoil–Greece–History. I. Title
S429.F692007
634’.630938–dc22
2007024930
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ISBN 978–0–19–815288–0
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Ostinato vo’seguire
La magnanima mia impresa...
(Marco Cara, 1470–1525)
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Contents
Acknowledgements ix
ListofFigures x
ListofTables xv
ListofAbbreviations xvi
1. Introduction 1
2. WealthyHouseholds:Theory,Sources,Methodology 21
3. TheAgriculturalHoldingsofLarge-ScaleHouseholds 55
4. TheDomesticConsumptionofOliveOil 85
5. CultivatingtheOlive 97
6. ProcessingOlives 131
7. ArboricultureandOrnamentalGardensinAncientGreece 219
8. Conclusions 247
Bibliography 261
IndexLocurum 285
GeneralIndex 291
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Acknowledgements
This project has grown and matured nearly as slowly as the olive
trees which are its subject. Many years ago Michael Jameson and
A. John Graham oversaw the inception of this research. That its
developmentprogressedwhenIwastransplantedtoBritainwasthanks
totheunXaggingsupportandencouragementofJohnK.Davies,Peter
Garnsey,RobinOsborne,andNicholasPurcell.Muchofthedataand
many insightsand ideas that ultimately blossomed inthisbook were
generatedbymyworkontheMethanaProjectwithChristopherMee
andHamish Forbes, andonthe BovaMarinaArchaeologicalProject,
whichIco-directwithJohnRobbandDavidYoon.
It is essential to thank here the institutions which have contri-
buted to funding this research including the British Academy,
the Humboldt Foundation, the Leverhulme Trust, the University
of Oxford, the University of Liverpool, the University of Leicester,
University College London, and Universita¨t Freiburg. For essential
information on unpublished projects I am extremely grateful to
Susan Alcock, Virginia Anderson-Stojanovicˇ, John BintliV, Joseph
Coleman Carter, William Cavanagh, John Cherry, Jack Davis, Peter
Doorn, Jacques Perreault, Albert Prieto, Graham Shipley, and
AnthonySnodgrass.
Thisworkalsoowesagreatdealtolessvisiblebutequallyimportant
support.Foremostwastheceaselessencouragementandbackingofmy
mother,BlancheFoxhall,whodidnotlivetoseetheprojectbearfruit,
but who would have been happy to know that at last it has done so.
Without the kindness, friendliness, and hospitality of the people of
Koiladha and Methana in Greece, and the people of Bova and Bova
MarinainItaly,thisworkwouldhavewithered.Helen,Anne,andJanet
havebeenunfailinglyloyalandsupportive,aswellashelpfulandwilling
participantsinWeldworkfromaveryearlyage,andwerealwaysthereto
make sure that life remained in perspective. But the fruits of this
researchowemosttotheonewithwhomtheywerealwaysmostclosely
shared,toHamish,for‘alittleofeverything’.