Peculiar diets and food taboos in the Ancient Thrace

Abstract

Written sources and interdisciplinary analysis provide evidence for the existence of peculiarities in the diet of ancient Thracians, including abstinence for a limited period of time (fasting?) or a complete ban on the consumption of certain foods. In some cases, documented food taboos draw a line between the general population and small isolated groups who have the privilege of eating differently. The information about the food that the Thracians refuse / restrict or are forbidden to accept could reveal more about their cultural identity and self-determination. It is even possible for certain social groups and classes to declare themselves through the food they do not consume. The existing special dietary regimes of the Thracians and their neighbors – Greeks and Scythians – could even be considered as an ethno-distinctive marker for the different nations of the Balkans.

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