Banquets and Urban Diet at Palaeologan Mistras. Proceedings of the Two-day Scientific Conference, Mistras, November 24-25, 2023

Banquets and Urban Diet at Palaeologan Mistras. Proceedings of the Two-day Scientific Conference, Mistras, November 24 and 25, 2023, Proceedings of the Mystras Scientific Conference 24–25 November 2023, Ministry of Culture, General Directorate of Antiquities and Cultural Heritage, Ephorate of Antiquities of Laconia, National Hellenic Research Foundation, Institute of Historical Research, Department of Byzantine Research [Μελέτες 3], Athens – Sparta 2025

https://helios.eie.gr/helios/handle/10442/19803

Volume Editors: lias Anagnostakis, Section of Byzantine Research, Charis Messis, Associate Professor at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, External Collaborator of the Section of Byzantine Research, Evangelia Eleftheriou, Ephorate of Antiquities of Laconia, Maria Leontsini, Section of Byzantine Research

The volume brings together the proceedings of the two-day academic conference held in Mystras on November 24–25, 2023, and examines aspects of urban diet and the social practice of banquets during the Palaeologan period. It includes 16 studies that explore perceptions and attitudes regarding diet in the Despotate of Morea, as well as practices of food production, distribution, and consumption, through historical and literary sources, manuscripts, iconography, architecture and other archaeological data. Emphasis is placed on the factors that shaped dietary patterns, such as population mobility, trade, and socioeconomic developments. At the same time, it highlights preservation and processing techniques, as well as the development of high-quality products and sophisticated gastronomic practices. The volume offers an interdisciplinary approach to the study of everyday life and material culture in late Byzantium.