Abstract

This article focuses on fishing and fish farming in ancient Greece and Rome. It discusses evidence showing the important place occupied by fish and shellfish in Graeco-Roman culinary culture, as well as the impressive scale and sophistication of capture fisheries and fish farming in both societies. It also looks at the consumption of fish and seafood, along with wild game and certain exotic spices, fruits, and vegetables, as part of Graeco-Roman notions of a luxurious diet and as an important symbol of status. Moreover, it discusses the principal methods of net-fishing and line fishing used by the Greeks and Romans.