An adequate food supply is the bedrock of society. Food shortages and famines could be catastrophic, leading to chaos and even collapse. The ancients were more than aware of the importance of agriculture.

Theme: Food insecurity in Antiquity

• Guy D. Middleton, 'Feasts, famines, and megadroughts - The Late Bronze Age Collapse'.
  
• Tim Miller, 'Agricultural rituals in ancient Egypt - Putting Osiris to bed'.
• Paul Erdkamp, 'Food crises in the Roman world - A starving mob has no respect'.
• Luca Ricci, 'Farmers and land in the Late Republic - Agriculture in crisis'.
• Owain Williams, 'Sparta, Syssitia, and citizenship - Agriculture in ancient Sparta'.

Features:

• Mark McCaffery, 'To purify the army by means of a dog - Canine conciliation'.
• Philip Matyszak, 'Dentistry and tooth decay in Rome - Grin and bear it'.
• K.P.S. Janssen, 'Religious status in the Roman Empire - Christians to the lions?'
• Jona Lendering, 'The texts from Qumran and their significance - Sectarian scrolls?'.
  
• Manon Henzen, 'How tough the guts of farming folk - Garlic in antiquity'.
• Thanos Matanis, 'Buddhist regions of South-Central Asia - Where Olympus meets Nirvana'.