INTRODUCTION

Direct written evidence for the food and drink of Roman Britain consists of the labels on packaging such as amphorae discussed in Chapter 3, and the information preserved on writing tablets found in the province. Indirect evidence comes from the ancient literary sources, many of which touch on matters of food and drink. This chapter will consider the sort of information captured in the writing tablets, and the ancient sources. The opportunity will also be taken to consider the nature of the well-developed food culture that the Roman elite at the centre of Empire clearly enjoyed, and whether some of the inhabitants of Britain were able to partake of it.

WRITING TABLETS

Two different forms of writing media were used in Roman Britain. Both were made of wood and thus require damp environments to survive. One has long been recognised and understood. These are the stylus tablets which consist of rectangular sheets of wood with narrow, raised borders around each edge. The recessed area was filled with black wax, and this could be written on with a stylus which removed the wax to reveal the pale wood below. When these tablets are found, the wax has generally disappeared but sometimes the stylus had scored deeply enough to leave traces of the writing on the wood. Many of these documents seem to recount legal or official transactions.