It’s the Pie episode! Ep 314

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
Pie: A Global History by Janet Clarkson (amazon.com/Pie-Global-History-Edible/dp/186189…)
The Forme of Cury (14th-century English cookbook) (pbm.com/~lindahl/foc)
Oxford Companion to Food (oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/acref/9780…)
British Museum: Archaeology of Ancient Egypt (britishmuseum.org/collection/galleries/egyptia…)
York Archaeological Trust: Medieval Kitchens (yorkarchaeology.co.uk)
Food in Medieval England by C.M. Woolgar (amazon.com/Food-Medieval-England-C-M-Woolgar/d…)
Smithsonian Magazine: The History of Pie in America (smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/history-of-pie…)
American Pie Council (piecouncil.org)
A History of British Baking by Emma Kay (amazon.com/History-British-Baking-Emma-Kay/dp/…)
Museum of London Archaeology (mola.org.uk)
Archaeobotanical Studies at the British Museum (britishmuseum.org/our-work/departments/scienti…)
Sugar and Sweetness by Sidney Mintz (amazon.com/Sweetness-Power-Place-Sugar-Modern/…)
Segment 2: The Discovery and Use of the Number Pi (π)
Rhind Mathematical Papyrus – British Museum (britishmuseum.org/collection/object/Y_EA10057)
Yale Babylonian Collection (babylonian-collection.yale.edu)
Archimedes’ “Measurement of a Circle” (mathshistory.st-andrews.ac.uk/Extras/Archimede…)
Mathematical Treatise in Nine Sections (Zu Chongzhi) (mathshistory.st-andrews.ac.uk/Biographies/Zu_C…)
Aryabhata and Aryabhatiya (www-history.mcs.st-andrews.ac.uk/Biographies/A…)
A History of Pi by Petr Beckmann (amazon.com/History-Pi-Petr-Beckmann/dp/0312381…)
The Symbol π and William Jones (maa.org/press/periodicals/convergence/who-gave…)
Mathematics in Ancient Egypt by Annette Imhausen (press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691117…)
The Archaeology of Measurement by Iain Morley (cambridge.org/core/books/archaeology-of-measur…)
British Museum: Ancient Coins (britishmuseum.org/collection/galleries/coins-a…)
Sacred Geometry by Robert Lawlor (penguinrandomhouse.com/books/96722/sacred-geom…)
Longitude by Dava Sobel (harpercollins.com/products/longitude-dava-sobel)
Pi Day – Official Site (piday.org)
Pi in Popular Culture – Life of Pi (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_of_Pi)
Archaeological Discovery of Mathematical Tools (smithsonianmag.com/history/how-the-abacus-help…)
Segment 3: The History and Origin of Meat Pies
Food in Ancient Egypt by Delwen Samuel (amazon.com/Food-Ancient-Egypt-Delwen-Samuel/dp…)
Apicius: De Re Coquinaria (penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Api…)
The Englishman’s Food by Drummond & Wilbraham (amazon.com/Englishmans-Food-Drummond/dp/184212…)
Food in Medieval England by C.M. Woolgar (amazon.com/Food-Medieval-England-C-M-Woolgar/d…)
Sing a Song of Sixpence – Nursery Rhyme Origins (britannica.com/topic/Sing-a-Song-of-Sixpence)
Archaeology at Pompeii – Food Remains (pompeii.org.uk/s.php/tour-food-pompeii-en-281-…)
The Cornish Pasty by Gillian Hogg (amazon.com/Cornish-Pasty-Gillian-Hogg/dp/18411…)
Pie: A Global History by Janet Clarkson (amazon.com/Pie-Global-History-Edible/dp/186189…)
Archaeozoology at the British Museum (britishmuseum.org/our-work/departments/scienti…)
Pie: A Savor the South Cookbook by Sara Foster (uncpress.org/book/9781469632519/pie)
Jamaican Patties – History (jamaicans.com/history-of-the-jamaican-beef-patty)
Tourtière – Canadian Encyclopedia (thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/tourtiere)
Empanadas – Origins (thespruceeats.com/empanada-history-2138158)
Victorian Pie Shops – Museum of London (museumoflondon.org.uk/discover/victorian-stree…)
Meat Pies in Literature – Sweeney Todd (bl.uk/works/sweeney-todd-the-demon-barber-of-f…)
Contact
Chris Webster
chris@archaeologypodcastnetwork.com
Rachel Roden
rachel@unraveleddesigns.com
RachelUnraveled (Instagram) (instagram.com/rachelunraveled)
ArchPodNet
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Affiliates
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