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10,000 BCE
The Neolithic Period
This bowl is an example of early Human food technology. It is known as a Jomon bowl and is an example of Jomon pottery. This pottery gained popularity in Japan during the Jomon era, from 14,500 - 300 BCE. This specific bowl is a Ubayama Shell Mound found in Chiba, Japan. While these pieces of pottery were mostly used as a method to store food, it is possible that they were also used to bury the dead. The piece is on display at the Tokyo National Museum and was photographed by James Blake Wiener. -
4000 BCE
The Paleolithic Period
This is a photo of a Paleolithic-era grindstone found at an archaeological dig site at Ohalo II, Israel. During the Paleolithic period, the people of this time would use large, flat rocks asa a method of harvesting natural resources such as plant fibers. While these rocks had multiple uses, one of the most important was to process crops into food. -
323 BCE
The Hellenistic Bronze Age
This is what is known as the Pythagorean cup, a wine glass invented by Pythagoras of Samos around the mid-6th century, although the exact date is unknown. Unlike the other artifacts on this timeline, the Pythagorean cup was designed to be less efficient. The concept behind the cup is that if someone drinking pours themselves too much wine, the cup would siphon the wine through a hidden spout in the stem of the cup, dumping it onto the drinker's lap as a punishment for their "greed". -
27 BCE
The Roman Empire
This is an ancient Roman aqueduct. While it may not seem that it is directly food-related, these irrigation systems were one of Rome's main reasons for agricultural superiority at the time. These series of ancient gutters would direct freshwater from surrounding mountains using gravity. This water would then be directed to the field of crops, providing adequate irrigation. This specific section of the aqueduct system is found in Mérida, Spain.