An Underrated Food Source: The Role of Figs (Ficus Carica L.) in Bronze Age Aegean Economies

by Catherine E. Pratt

Hesperia, Volume 95, Issue 3
Page(s): 349-399
Stable URL: https://muse.jhu.edu/article/1001164
Year: 2026
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ABSTRACT:

This article seeks to fill a gap in research on Bronze Age agriculture by focusing on the humble fig. I argue that figs were a staple good alongside wheat, barley, olives, and grapes. Using textual and archaeological data from the Minoan and Mycenaean palatial eras, the goal of this article is to better understand the role of figs in Late Bronze Age Aegean cultures. Linear A and B tablets demonstrate that figs were an integral part of the broader Bronze Age palatial economies, while archaeological records illustrate that figs were prominent components of household, palatial, and ritual contexts.