Date, Rituals and Socio-Cultural Identity in the North-Western Roman Provinces

This article explores issues of socio-cultural identity in the north-western Roman provinces, using all the available archaeobotanical evidence of date (Phoenix dactylifera L.). This fruit does not conform to the general social distribution pattern of other Roman exotic food plant imports in this area, but instead indicates a strong ceremonial connection. Through an in-depth contextual approach the role of date in both domestic and ceremonial sites is investigated to reach beyond the simple date-Roman-ritual association. The results suggest strong temporal, spatial and contextual patterning and an overall rare occurrence and selective use of the fruit in certain rituals and mystic cults. Date may have been employed not necessarily as a food, and was probably an affordable luxury for some in their ritual pursuits. As such, date can now be regarded as part of specific ceremonial expressions rather than a standard ingredient of a normative ceremonial or Roman identity.