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SUMMARY:Beyond Faith? Biomolecular Insights into Foodways in Multifaith Me
 dieval Mediterranean Societies - Michelle Alexander\, University of York
DTSTART:20251120T160000Z
DTEND:20251120T173000Z
UID:TALK236830@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Akshyeta Suryanarayan
DESCRIPTION:In this talk\, I explore the intersections of food\, identity\
 , and socio-political change in the multi-faith societies of the medieval 
 Mediterranean\, where Christian\, Muslim\, and Jewish communities coexiste
 d in complex and shifting ways. Drawing on more than 15 years of archaeolo
 gical and biomolecular research — including my work on the European and 
 UKRI-funded projects SICTRANSIT\, Landscapes of (Re)conquest\, and MEDGREE
 NREV — I trace the diets of urban and rural communities in Iberia and Si
 cily. Stable isotope analysis of human and animal remains\, alongside orga
 nic residue analysis of pottery\, reveals that dietary choices were not si
 mply determined by religious affiliation. Instead\, they were shaped by an
  intricate interplay of socio-economic status\, urban–rural divides\, po
 litical regimes\, and environmental change—though exceptions persist. By
  foregrounding these biomolecular perspectives\, the talk demonstrates how
  food operated as a medium for negotiating belonging\, distinction\, and i
 dentity in the diverse and dynamic societies of the medieval Mediterranean
 .\n\nThe link to join the lecture online is here: https://teams.microsoft.
 com/meet/3693237776111?p=raZyEwVDtKHkBu2fP9\n
LOCATION:McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research Seminar Room
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