For those foodies out there, AntiquityNOW has some new ways to display your appreciation of the ancients. We are featuring in The Bazaar, our new store that we announced last week, wearables that proclaim your fondness for foods with a history.
Here are some delightful, delectable and intriguing facts that you will sport on our new wearable designs:
- Apple pieces have been found in Stone Age dwellings in Switzerland
- Cheesecake was given to athletes in the first Olympic games in 776 BCE in Greece
- The origins of ice cream began 5,000 years ago in China
- Ancient Maya used cacao beans as currency and to make chocolate
- Emperor Nero consumed leeks to improve his singing voice
We are also displaying on our wearables an early mosaic of food items. The mosaic is from the extraordinary Tomb of Menna (circa 1422-1411 BCE). Menna was the “Scribe of the Fields of the Lord of the Two Lands of Upper and Lower Egypt” and oversaw the agricultural dealings on property owned by the Temple of Amun at Karnak in the 18th Dynasty, most probably during the reigns of Tuthmosis IV and Amenhotep III.
His tomb is remarkable for its wall art bringing alive all aspects of daily life in Egypt. The decorations reflect the belief that the afterlife was a mirror of what was best in the earthly life. The lavish and finely detailed paintings demonstrate the Egyptians’ mastery of pigment and its application on plaster.
An archaeometry survey team beginning in 2007 has analyzed the pigments as well as organic and non-organic materials in the tomb to understand the ancient technical process and to create viable restoration procedures where required. Archaeometry “is the science of archaeology, using analytic chemistry, spectroscopy, (bio) organic chemistry, electrochemistry, physics, conservation science, museology, anthropology, history, history of art and archaeology.” Modern technology is ensuring that Egyptian history will continue to be preserved so generations to come can understand how much these ancient people have contributed to our shared world heritage.
So when you wear our foodie designs, remember…you are spreading the word about how antiquity continues to influence our lives today and (thanks to modern technology) for generations to come.
Click here to see more images from the Tomb of Menna (TT69).
The mosaic used by AntiquityNOW is a public domain image.