Session 4A: Open Session Consumption and Exposure in the Roman World

134 ARCHAEOLOGICAL INSTITUTE OF AMERICA Panelists: Kim McMurray, The Indivisible Guide, Alexandra Klein, National Humanities Alliance, Lindsay Theo, American Federation of Teachers, Kiran Mansukhani, The Graduate Center, CUNY, Wynter Pohlenz Telles Douglas, Bryn Mawr College, Olga Faccani, University of California, Santa Barbara, Emily Allen- Hornblower, Rutgers University, Kristina Chew, Rutgers University, Arti Mehta, Howard University, Dan-el Padilla Peralta, Princeton University, and Jerise Fogel, Montclair State University Session 4A: Open Session Consumption and Exposure in the Roman World Taste and Technique: Reconstructing Food Preparation Strategies through Use- Alteration Analysis of First-Century C.E. Cookware Assemblages from Pompeii Aaron Brown, University of California, Berkeley This paper considers how the inhabitants of first-century C.E. Pompeii prepared their daily meals and what factors influenced their choice of cooking techniques. Through an examination of the frequencies of particular types of vessels (bronze and ceramic) and utensils used for food and drink preparation recovered from a series of previously excavated properties in and around Pompeii, I reassess what constituted the standard batterie de cuisine within the Pompeian kitchen and how this could be modified according to the needs and preferences of the one stock- ing the shelves. I further offer a reconstruction of the various cooking methods employed and preferences exhibited by those who used these cookwares through an analysis of use alterations displayed by the objects. This involves the systematic examination and documentation of intentional and unintentional modifications— including sooting, scratching, denting, etc.—visible on the surface of each object. The properties selected for this study represent a range of property types, including modest and grand houses, commercial food establishments, and suburban villas, allowing us to discern how food preparation strategies differed between households, as well as residential and commercial properties. I interpret these differences as indicators of the socioeconomic priorities and individual tastes of those who prepared the meals within these different contexts. This study, based on fieldwork carried out in August and September of 2019 in the storerooms at Pompeii, sheds light on an often overlooked aspect of Roman daily life through the examination of an historically neglected class of artifacts. It also provides a corrective to traditional typological artifact studies which privi- lege morphology over functional considerations. By focusing on the dynamics of object-user interaction and how vessels and utensils were actually manipulated within Roman kitchens, as evinced through use alterations, we can better appreci- ate not only the methods, but also in part the motives of the cooks who used such objects. 120TH ANNUAL MEETING ABSTRACTS 135 A mari ad mensam: An Investigation of Social Status Through Fishing and Fish Consumption in the Roman Mediterranean Catherine E. Gould, University of Southampton Fish sauces, such as garum, have been explored in numerous studies of Roman marine exploitation, yet the sociocultural implications of fish consumption and status in the Roman world have been, for the most part, overlooked. This is not to say that no scholar has examined the sociocultural significance of ancient fishing practices; in the past two decades, there have been several significant investiga- tions into the specifics of the Roman fishing and aquaculture industries. However, the argument that fish is an indicator of status in the ancient Roman diet is less developed than the conclusions drawn about fish and fishing within the Roman economy and technological contexts. In this paper, I aim to fill the gaps in previous academic analyses of Roman marine resource exploitation by examining the social status inherent within several connected elements of the Roman fishing industry. The guiding research questions are as follows: To what extent was the presence of saltwater fish in Roman diets a status indicator? Can evidence from Roman iconography, literature, and archaeol- ogy be used to create a definitive status hierarchy of consumable fish in the Roman world? What were the social status implications in the Roman fishing industry from sea to table? To answer these questions, this paper combines primary source material with modern scholarly interpretations to form an original contribution to the archaeological studies of the Roman world. The conclusions I make are as follows: The Romans of the Imperial period val- ued saltwater fish over freshwater fish; these same Romans preferred fresh fish over preserved fish. The fish which came from a private fishpond was an indicator of higher status than the purchase of fish at a market or a meal of fish from a tavern, and the environment from which fish were caught designated their value and popularity within Roman dietary culture. Skeletons from Oplontis Reveal Dietary Differences in the Bay of Naples (79 C.E.) Kristina Killgrove, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Andrea N. Acosta, University of South Carolina, and Robert H. Tykot, University of South Florida Measurement of the stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen from human bone collagen is common practice in bioarchaeological projects interested in palaeodiet. Although a number of studies have employed this technique on cemetery populations from the Imperial Roman world, just two previous studies have highlighted the diet of people killed by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 C.E. Here we present the results of a new palaeodietary analysis of twenty-four people from the site of Oplontis (Torre Annunziata, Italy). The human skeletons were discovered between 1984–1991 in Room 10 of Oplontis B, and full analysis of the remains began in 2017. Our isotope analysis of the rib collagen shows a δ13C average of -19.3‰, suggesting a diet primarily composed of wheat and barley, and a δ15N average of 10.8‰, suggesting a diet of terrestrial meat such as pork. However, the average nitrogen value at Oplon- tis is significantly higher than that at Herculaneum and Pompeii, suggesting that 136 ARCHAEOLOGICAL INSTITUTE OF AMERICA people from Oplontis may have also been eating higher trophic level food, such as marine mollusks or sardines. Within the population, we also identified changes in diet during several individuals’ life courses by comparing the isotope values in their tooth collagen versus bone collagen. For example, one older man ate a diet in the last five years of his life that was significantly lower in nitrogen than was his adolescent diet. Given his antemortem tooth loss, his different diet over time is likely a result of masticatory problems. This palaeodietary study of the people found at Oplontis represents the first biochemical analysis of this population. Further work on their DNA to determine biological relationships and disease status is ongoing. The People of Oplontis B: An Osteological Study of Age, Sex, and Familial Relationships Andrea Acosta, University of South Carolina, Kristina Killgrove, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and Shyiesha Carson, University of West Florida Vesuvius erupted in 79 C.E., leaving entire towns and their populations buried for centuries. One such place was Oplontis B, assumed to have been a wine and oil emporium or distribution center in the Campania region. Skeletons were discovered between 1984–1991 only in Room 10 of the complex. Our 2017–2018 excavation and osteological analysis was the first full accounting of the human skeletons and casts from Oplontis and revealed a minimum number of 64, higher than previously assumed. People of all ages are represented in this cross-section of the living population, composed of 28 non-adults and 33 adults; the sex ratio was evenly distributed with 17 females and 18 males. This demography differs from cemetery populations, wherein females are usually underrep- resented and there is high infant mortality. Notably, two full-term fetuses were found in or near two adult females. The presence of nonmetric cranial and dental traits in this population, such as persistence of the metopic suture and shovel- shaped incisors, also suggests biological relationships among individuals. Both the archaeological evidence from Oplontis B and the osteological discover- ies suggest that this multiuse complex was a form of a residential business that may have been family owned and operated. Ongoing DNA analyses will allow us to further investigate the demography of this population, including our biological relationship hypothesis, and isotope analysis may reveal whether any of the people who died at Oplontis were immigrants. An Interdisciplinary Study of Lead Use and Lead Exposure on an Imperial Roman Estate (First–Fourth Century C.E.) in Southern Italy Tracy Prowse, McMaster University, Maureen Carroll, University of Sheffield, Mike Inskip, McMaster University, and Jane Evans, British Geological Survey Excavations at the site of Vagnari in southern Italy have uncovered a vicus and necropolis (second–fourth centuries C.E.) associated with a large Imperial estate. Vagnari is the largest Roman period site in the region and was likely situated near 120TH ANNUAL MEETING ABSTRACTS 137 the via Appia, an important trade route linking Rome to the southeast coast of Ita- ly. Evidence of metal working, lead scrap, and lead objects from the vicus at Vag- nari suggest that lead was a ubiquitous resource on this Imperial

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