A Taste of the Ancient World:
Feeding Karanis
The site of Karanis,
a farming town in Roman Egypt (see map),
was excavated by the University of Michigan from 1924-35, initially under
the direction of Francis Kelsey himself. The Michigan excavations took a
great - and for that time unusual - interest in the 'daily life' of this
ancient farming town. As a result, many humble, food-related items were
carefully brought back to Ann Arbor and stored in the Kelsey Museum.
Under the Roman empire (ca.1st -5th century AD), Karanis was a small
agriculturally based community, whose people farmed to keep themselves alive.
They were obligated, however, to feed others as well. Grain grown at Karanis
was regularly shipped far away - for example to supply the needs of Rome,
the imperial capital.
