It’s the Pie episode! Ep 314

Written By Rachel Roden

In this special “Strat Chat” edition of The Archaeology Show, we dig into the layers of history behind “pi” and “pie” in honor of episode 314. First, we explore the origins of fruit pies, tracing their journey from ancient Egyptian tombs to medieval feasts and early American kitchens. Next, we unravel the story of the number pi (π), highlighting how ancient civilizations discovered and used this mathematical constant in everything from monuments to pottery. Finally, we bite into the history of meat pies, uncovering their role in ancient diets and how they evolved into a global comfort food. Join us for a flavorful journey through time, where archaeology and culinary history meet in every slice!

Links

Segment 1: The History and Origin of Fruit Pies

  1. Pie: A Global History by Janet Clarkson

  2. The Forme of Cury (14th-century English cookbook)

  3. Oxford Companion to Food

  4. British Museum: Archaeology of Ancient Egypt

  5. York Archaeological Trust: Medieval Kitchens

  6. Food in Medieval England by C.M. Woolgar

  7. Smithsonian Magazine: The History of Pie in America

  8. American Pie Council

  9. A History of British Baking by Emma Kay

  10. Museum of London Archaeology

  11. Archaeobotanical Studies at the British Museum

  12. Sugar and Sweetness by Sidney Mintz

Segment 2: The Discovery and Use of the Number Pi (π)

  1. Rhind Mathematical Papyrus – British Museum

  2. Yale Babylonian Collection

  3. Archimedes’ “Measurement of a Circle”

  4. Mathematical Treatise in Nine Sections (Zu Chongzhi)

  5. Aryabhata and Aryabhatiya

  6. A History of Pi by Petr Beckmann

  7. The Symbol π and William Jones

  8. Mathematics in Ancient Egypt by Annette Imhausen

  9. The Archaeology of Measurement by Iain Morley

  10. British Museum: Ancient Coins

  11. Sacred Geometry by Robert Lawlor

  12. Longitude by Dava Sobel

  13. Pi Day – Official Site

  14. Pi in Popular Culture – Life of Pi

  15. Archaeological Discovery of Mathematical Tools

Segment 3: The History and Origin of Meat Pies

  1. Food in Ancient Egypt by Delwen Samuel

  2. Apicius: De Re Coquinaria

  3. The Englishman’s Food by Drummond & Wilbraham

  4. Food in Medieval England by C.M. Woolgar

  5. Sing a Song of Sixpence – Nursery Rhyme Origins

  6. Archaeology at Pompeii – Food Remains

  7. The Cornish Pasty by Gillian Hogg

  8. Pie: A Global History by Janet Clarkson

  9. Archaeozoology at the British Museum

  10. Pie: A Savor the South Cookbook by Sara Foster

  11. Jamaican Patties – History

  12. Tourtière – Canadian Encyclopedia

  13. Empanadas – Origins

  14. Victorian Pie Shops – Museum of London

  15. Meat Pies in Literature – Sweeney Todd

Contact

ArchPodNet

Affiliates

Rachel Roden
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