Dinner with the Dead: Etruscan Banquets and the Archaeology of Memory

Step inside the painted tombs of ancient Etruria, where the musicians are still playing, the wine is still flowing, and the dead remain gathered around the table.

In this episode of The Ancient Palate, Elizabeth Gilkey explores Etruscan funerary banquets and the extraordinary tomb paintings of Tarquinia, asking what food, wine and feasting can reveal about memory, identity, gender and the enduring relationship between the living and the dead.

Produced by Matt Aucott in collaboration with UCL Communications.

What is The Ancient Palate?

The Ancient Palate invites listeners to savour the flavours of antiquity. Host Elizabeth Gilkey, an archaeologist based in London and Oxford, journeys through the landscapes of the ancient Mediterranean in conversation with winemakers, historians, and archaeologists. Together, they explore how ancient craftsmanship and belief still ferment beneath the surface of today’s tables and vineyards.

Produced by Matt Aucott in collaboration with UCL Communications.