Journal Article

Feasts and Their Failures

Smith, Monica L.

2015

Overview

Archaeologists often interpret the physical evidence for large-scale consumption of food and beverages as the remains of feasts that successfully enhanced personal reputations, consolidated power, or ensured community solidarity. However, ethnographic accounts illustrate the potential for \"feast failure\": people may or may not contribute, may or may not come to the feast, may or may not be satisfied, and may or may not repay the feast-giver in labor or obeisance. Because they involve so many logistical and material components before, during, and after the event, feasts almost always exhibit some shortcomings. These failures paradoxically provide both hosts and guests the opportunity to demonstrate their managerial skills, a factor that would have been increasingly important with the development of multiple and overlapping groups at the inception of social complexity. The use of failure-prone events as testing grounds for social integration also may explain the increased amount and diversity of feasting behavior over time.

• Publisher: Springer,Springer US,Springer Nature B.V
• Subject: Anthropology / Archaeology / Community power / Community solidarity / Drinks / Ethnography / Feasting / Food / Food consumption / Meals / Social integration / Social Sciences