ABSTRACT
As thematic studies of visual culture become increasingly common, the depiction of food and food culture promises new insight into patterns of actual or aspirational consumption as well as the role of quotidian subjects in ancient aesthetics and art history. Similar to the textual evidence for diet and nutrition, discussed by Kim Beerden in this volume, the visual evidence necessitates a critical evaluation of its formal characteristics, function, and representativeness. In this chapter, I present a sketch of visual sources primarily from painting and mosaic in Campania and North Africa from the first century BC through to the first century AD. 1 These regions offer a substantial quantity of visual evidence for the types of food items depicted and provide parallels to textual sources on depictions of food. Additionally, where possible, I note archaeological context in order to suggest how social space and the conditions of viewing inform the significance of visual representations.
