Feasting Posters

The Feasting table presented excerpts from primary sources from the Achaemenid to the Sasanian period. Several texts composed by Greek writers highlight banqueting practices and the distribution of food and wine at the Persian court. Other excerpts include Achaemenid administrative records and selections from the Sasanian court story Khusro and the Page (partly reproduced under Cosmopolitan Tastes).

Left: Bowls of herbs provided by local herbalist Jila Misaghi

For the main display, herbal practitioner Jila Misaghi brought bowls of herbs mentioned in ancient Iranian texts and explained their usage in traditional medicine. Visitors were able to touch and smell some of the same herbs that would have been present in the courts of the Sasanian dynasty. Ancient historian Dr. Mira Green also staffed the table, providing her expertise in the use of food in daily life in the ancient world.

The posters below are free to download and use.

Achaemenid nobles drank wine from bowls like this one; its fine silver craftsmanship displayed its owner's wealth to his drinking companions.

Sasanian elites took pride in the variety and sophistication of their cuisine. In this passage, a young Persian nobleman demonstrates his breeding by parading his refined palate.

The Achaemenid Empire spanned three continents. Choice ingredients from every region were conveyed to the palace, where the king and his court enjoyed Attic figs and other delicacies.

Diverse Meats Consumed at Persian Banquets.jpg

The serving of meat was a vital ritual in Iranian court culture, reinforcing social hierarchies. Greek writers marveled at both the amount and variety of the meats consumed at the Achaemenid palace.

Large and Skilled Staff for Royal Banquets.jpg

Achaemenid banquets were lavish affairs, requiring many highly trained servants at every stage of the meal. This Greek description, meant to criticize Persian decadence, inadvertently attests to the carefully orchestrated nature of court feasts.

Herbs and spices played an important dietary, medicinal, and ritual role in Ancient Iranian life. This passage, from a 9th century Zoroastrian text, catalogs the uses of several common plants in Iran.

While Greek observers probably exaggerate how much Persians loved wine, there's no question that wine was popular in Ancient Iran. The reliefs at Persepolis include tribute-bearers bringing wine from afar.

Parthian administrative documents record shipments from royal vineyards to supply the original Arsacid court at Nisa in modern Turkmenistan.