Food Through History

Every scene here is a reconstruction — a moment in the story of food rebuilt from archaeology, written records and food science, and dated as closely as the evidence allows. Informed visualizations of the past, not photographs of it.

Explore by period

All 848 results

The Gandhi Salt MarchThe Gandhi Salt MarchThe Gasoline Tractor Replaces Animal Draft PowerThe Gasoline Tractor Replaces Animal Draft PowerThe Glycemic Index Is IntroducedThe Glycemic Index Is IntroducedThe Grauballe ManThe Grauballe ManThe Great Entertainment at The HagueThe Great Entertainment at The HagueThe Great French Wine Blight Drives GraftingThe Great French Wine Blight Drives GraftingThe Great Kantō Earthquake Remakes Tokyo's Food CultureThe Great Kantō Earthquake Remakes Tokyo's Food CultureThe Great Remuera HākariThe Great Remuera HākariThe Great Tea Race of 1866The Great Tea Race of 1866The Great Tōdai-ji Dedication FeastThe Great Tōdai-ji Dedication FeastThe Health Cost of Farming at ÇatalhöyükThe Health Cost of Farming at ÇatalhöyükThe Heavy Mouldboard Plow Opens Northern Europe’s Clay SoilsThe Heavy Mouldboard Plow Opens Northern Europe’s Clay SoilsThe Hittite AN.TAH.ŠUM Spring FestivalThe Hittite AN.TAH.ŠUM Spring FestivalThe Hittite KI.LAM Festival BanquetThe Hittite KI.LAM Festival BanquetThe Hochdorf ChieftainThe Hochdorf ChieftainThe Hochdorf Chieftain’s Funerary FeastThe Hochdorf Chieftain’s Funerary FeastThe Horse Collar Makes Horses Powerful Draft AnimalsThe Horse Collar Makes Horses Powerful Draft AnimalsThe Imperial Japanese Navy Adopts Curry to Fight BeriberiThe Imperial Japanese Navy Adopts Curry to Fight BeriberiThe Imperial Mongol Pastoral Food SystemThe Imperial Mongol Pastoral Food SystemThe Inca Vertical Food EconomyThe Inca Vertical Food EconomyThe Laetoli Footprint MakersThe Laetoli Footprint MakersThe Last Nobel Banquet Before World War IIThe Last Nobel Banquet Before World War IIThe Last SupperThe Last SupperThe Lord of SipánThe Lord of SipánThe Marshall Islands Diabetes TransitionThe Marshall Islands Diabetes TransitionThe Mechanical Reaper Accelerates the Grain HarvestThe Mechanical Reaper Accelerates the Grain HarvestThe Medieval North Atlantic Cod Trade ExpandsThe Medieval North Atlantic Cod Trade ExpandsThe Megalesia Banquet for CybeleThe Megalesia Banquet for CybeleThe Modern Restaurant Emerges in ParisThe Modern Restaurant Emerges in ParisThe Norfolk Four-Course Rotation Reorganizes the FarmThe Norfolk Four-Course Rotation Reorganizes the FarmThe NOVA Classification EmergesThe NOVA Classification EmergesThe Paper Bag Is PatentedThe Paper Bag Is PatentedThe Paris Restaurant EmergesThe Paris Restaurant EmergesThe Persepolis 2,500-Year Celebration BanquetThe Persepolis 2,500-Year Celebration BanquetThe Persian King’s TableThe Persian King’s TableThe Peruvian Anchoveta Fishery Becomes the World’s LargestThe Peruvian Anchoveta Fishery Becomes the World’s LargestThe Pima Diabetes Natural ExperimentThe Pima Diabetes Natural ExperimentThe Plymouth Harvest FeastThe Plymouth Harvest FeastThe Potato Reaches EuropeThe Potato Reaches EuropeThe Pressure Cooker Is DemonstratedThe Pressure Cooker Is DemonstratedThe Prince Regent’s Brighton Pavilion FeastThe Prince Regent’s Brighton Pavilion FeastThe Pure Food and Drug ActThe Pure Food and Drug ActThe Pure Food and Drugs ActThe Pure Food and Drugs ActThe Red Lady of PavilandThe Red Lady of PavilandThe Roman Lectisternium of 217 BCEThe Roman Lectisternium of 217 BCEThe Romanovs’ 1903 Winter Palace Ball SupperThe Romanovs’ 1903 Winter Palace Ball SupperThe Salt Men of ChehrabadThe Salt Men of ChehrabadThe Seed Drill Places Grain in Ordered RowsThe Seed Drill Places Grain in Ordered RowsThe Seven Countries Study Links Diet and Heart DiseaseThe Seven Countries Study Links Diet and Heart DiseaseThe Shipping Container Globalizes Food TradeThe Shipping Container Globalizes Food TradeThe Spartan Hyakinthia FeastThe Spartan Hyakinthia FeastThe Steel Plow Breaks Prairie SoilThe Steel Plow Breaks Prairie SoilThe Sunghir BurialsThe Sunghir BurialsThe Taung ChildThe Taung ChildThe Terracotta Army’s BuildersThe Terracotta Army’s BuildersThe Third Cod War Ends with Icelandic ControlThe Third Cod War Ends with Icelandic ControlThe Three-Field Rotation Spreads in EuropeThe Three-Field Rotation Spreads in EuropeThe Three-Point Hitch Standardizes Tractor ImplementsThe Three-Point Hitch Standardizes Tractor ImplementsThe Threshing Machine Mechanizes Grain SeparationThe Threshing Machine Mechanizes Grain SeparationThe Uluburun ShipwreckThe Uluburun Shipwreck