Olive oil in the diet of the ancient Romans

Using new research methods, scientists from the University of Kent determined that olive oil accounted for 20% of the calories consumed by residents of one Roman city.

An indispensable ingredient and an unsurpassed tool for preserving food products, olive oil and olives played a central role in the times of Ancient Rome in the territory of modern Naples. The average consumption of olive oil per inhabitant reached 20 liters per year. It was the main source of fat for them, also olive oil was widely used to store seasonal products to eat them later.

However, all this ended on August 24, 79 AD, when Vesuvius interrupted its centuries-old inactivity and experienced one of the most destructive eruptions in the history of mankind. In 30 hours, its strong flash buried the nearby cities of Pompeii, Stabia and Herculaneum under four cubic kilometers of burning lava and ash.

Of the 2,000 Romans who died as a result of the volcanic disaster, more than 300 tried to survive by fleeing to the beach of Herculaneum. There, on the seashore and in nearby stone vaults, they were killed by a 500°C gas discharge that vaporized their tissues. Many skeletons of victims found at this site have helped researchers in their efforts to find out exactly what happened and what their previous life was like.

According to the researchers, the key to the new findings was a technique that determines the values of stable amino acid isotopes from bone collagen. Using Bayesian models that include knowledge about protein synthesis, the researchers were able to determine the diet of 17 adults with unprecedented high resolution.

The researchers focused on several amino acids that the human body processes when it receives macronutrients, such as olive oil.

Researchers believe that men ate 50% more seafood than women. Men received proteins mainly from cereals, while women ate more animal products, vegetables and fruits. Compared to meat, fish and cereals, olive oil accounted for almost a quarter of the total food consumption.