“Without food and drink, the hero is no good” goes the classic Norwegian proverb, and this has been true for all people in all time periods. Food is a basic need for survival, and which resources people have chosen to exploit to feed themselves and their families have largely shaped societies and the lives of individuals. What people have chosen as a basis for sustenance has shaped the relationship of human groups to their surroundings and nature. Whether you plow and shape the land to cultivate, whether you walk across plains, mountains and forests in search of game, follow herds of animals on long migration routes, row out into the fjord to fish, collect nuts, root vegetables or shells; all of this shapes which qualities and tools you acquire, and how you live in connection with the landscape.
This time we want texts that deal with food and drink, and the social sphere around this from an archaeological perspective. As food and drink have been an essential part of the lives of every human being who has ever lived, the archaeological source material is both large and varied. We are happy to accept texts about, for example, bones, nutshells, ceramic containers and cooking utensils. We also gladly accept texts with a scientific angle, such as pollen analyses, which can tell us about cultivation or grazing, or isotope analyses of bones, which can tell us a lot about a person’s diet.
The relationship humans have with food and drink cannot be reduced to pure survival, but has strong links to social, religious and economic contexts. Who has a seat around the table during a large feast? Who has the most magnificent drinking service? Food, drink and meals have in many cases been used to mark status. In addition, sacrificial meals and alcoholic beverages have had ritual meanings in several societies. Food products have been traded over great distances and entered into intricate trade networks. In addition, certain types of food and drink have had medicinal uses. We therefore ask for texts that deal with feast culture, sacrificial meals, trade, medicine and the like, i.e. food and drink in a larger social context.
There are also dark sides to food and drink, and we are happy to accept texts that discuss topics such as famines, malnutrition, alcoholism or other of the more gloomy features of food and drink.
All texts that can shed light on the theme “Food and Drink” in various ways are welcome in RISS no. 8. Contributions can deal with all time periods, all places in the world and all research areas within, or related to, archaeology. We accept professional articles, essays, adapted assignments, interviews, illustrations, photos, book and film reviews, and fiction texts from students, professionals and other interested parties. This time we are also happy to accept recipes based on historical or archaeological sources.
If you would like to contribute to the next issue of RISS, send us your contribution by April 15, 2025 to rissred@gmail.com.
Languages:
Scandinavian or English.
Name and Title:
Title of your contribution. Author’s name, title and place of work.
Length, text size and line spacing:
Maximum 3000 words, font size 12 and line spacing 1,5.
Images/Illustrations/Figures:
Open Access, high resolution, numbered figures, name of photographer/author.
References and bibliography:
References and bibliography are not necessary. Do include an abstract and a literature list for further reading.
Direct quotes:
Mark with “ and ” or in cursive without quotation marks if quotes exceed three lines. Direct quotes must be referenced.
Contact:
Contributions, drafts or questions can be sent to riss@uib.no.
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