“The food of the gods”. From 2018, December 19th to 2019, February 18th

“The food of the gods”. From 2018, December 19th to 2019, February 18th

In 2018, the Year of Italian Food set up by MiBAC with the MiPAAFT, the Museum has organized various initiatives, including two exhibitions dedicated to food in Roman times and food practices in protohistoric Calabria.

On Wednesday, December 19th, at 5.30 pm, in the space of Place Paolo Orsi, the third theme exhibition is inaugurating: “The Food of the Gods. Rituals and Offers in the Sanctuaries of Greek Calabria”, curated by the director Carmelo Malacrino with the official archaeologist Daniela Costanzo.

The exhibition will remain open to the public until 2019, February 18th.

Through the path traced by almost a hundred finds you can learn about the ritual customs in Magna Graecia, which included the offer of food to the deities and objects used for worship.

The offers could consist in the sacrifice of animals, and therefore be bloody, or in products of nature, such as cereals, fruit, focaccia, drinks.

The occasions for these practices were the most varied: they could have the purpose of thanking the deities for the success of the harvest or of a war, or to propitiate the fortune in a trip or in a business, or even to expiate an offense caused to gods.

Pinakes, figurative vases, miniaturistic ceramics and models of terracotta fruits are evidence of religious rituals in the major sanctuaries of Greek Calabria: from Rhegion to Locri and Monasterace (ancient Caulonia), from Rosarno to Vibo Valentia, up to Cirò Marina.

“The link between Calabria and food is of ancient tradition and is strongly rooted. Knowing it also makes us aware of the importance of promoting the food and wine culture of our territory “, the director of MArRC Malacrino says.