Ancient Feasting Videos

Check out this selection of videos on the subject of ancient feasts and feasting created by our Warwick Classics staff and students.

Ancient Feasts: A celebration of festive cooking in Greek and Roman antiquity at the Herbert Gallery in Coventry

Students and staff from the Dept. of Classics and Ancient History at Warwick will be holding an event on Ancient Feasts at the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum in Coventry. this Spring. At the event you will:

• Learn about food and feasting in ancient times
• Do some Roman cooking and taste some Roman food as part of our Roman cookery masterclass
• View our giant Feast! inspired mosaic and make some small mosaics of your own
• Learn about the ancient Greek symposium or drinking party
• Get up close to some real ancient Greek and Roman artefacts including weapons, pots and coins
• Hear some ancient music that would have accompanied ancient feasts

Competition for Schools

We are inviting local schools to design posters and make short videos which will be visible throughout the day of the event in the Herbert Gallery. These posters and videos can be about ancient or modern feasts, and we are especially interested in the diversity of feasts which occur in the cultural mix of modern day Coventry.

All Primary Schools who take part will be entered into a prize draw to win a FREE virtual session with the Romans at Lunt Roman Fort worth £150, thanks to the generosity of the Herbert Gallery and Culture Coventry.

And thanks to the amazing continued support of the Classical Association, a prize of £100 will be awarded to the best contribution by a Secondary School, with a £75 prize for best contribution by an individual.

If you want your school to be involved, please email Dr Paul Grigsby at paul dot grigsby at warwick dot ac dot uk

The Resonate Festival Feast!

 As the nights draw in and Autumn turns to Winter, staff and students at the University of Warwick are working alongside Visit Coventry and the City of Culture team to highlight the vibrancy and diversity of the food scene in the region.

Led by Warwick's Global Research Priority on Food, our 'Feast ​Food Festival' will explore how all cultures celebrate by eating and drinking together. Showcasing the making, history and meaning behind lots of different ​festive foods and drinks, we will take a deep dive into their ingredients, techniques ​and stories. We will work with Coventry and Warwickshire food and drink businesses, researchers and the wider community to celebrate what’s on the menu in Coventry.

• On 20 October 2021 we started our series of events with Sara Pennell talking about 'Prince Henry's sweet tooth' as evident from a 1612 banquet (Week 1: Sweets; VIDEO COMING SOON)

In November and December 2021, we are supporting a number of further linked initiatives and events including:

• • an ‘Exhi-bean-tion’ feast featuring taster pots of vegan bean dishes from around the world, showcasing our locally grown haricot beans on Sunday 5th December hosted at Shopfront Theatre. Pick up taster pots in the afternoon for an on-line evening event with chefs showcasing their unique recipes; Week 5: Vegetables);
  • a 'Festive Market' hosted by Warwick Retail on the university's central campus just three miles from Coventry city centre (Piazza, Wednesday, 8 December 2021; all components);
  • a two-part 'Feast Food Fair' building on the medieval custom of church ales in collaboration with The Spirit of Berkswell project and the My-Parish network based in Warwick's History department (weekend of 10-11 December 2021, at St John the Baptist church, Berkswell; Week 6: Beverages)

 
Further details to be released soon !