Who Cooks Better: Comparison of Regional Cooking Practices in the Late Bronze Age Central Aegean

Over the past two decades, research on ancient dietary habits and culinary practices has evolved into a well-established and steadily expanding field. Numerous investigations have revealed that a detailed examination of cooking pottery, particularly its form and use‑wear, can yield valuable insights into culinary practices. The study presented in this paper applies this framework to the Northern Aegean regions in the Late Bronze Age. The paper presents and compares several cooking assemblages from Central Greece, Thessaly and Northwestern Aegean primarily from the functional perspective. Assemblages from individual sites are examined through the combination of a morphological approach, existing use‑alteration data, and volumetric analysis to provide a complex view of cooking practices in the Late Bronze Age Northern Aegean. While morphological features and use-alteration marks provide insights into the actual cooking methods, volumetric analysis hints on wider social behaviours as communal cooking. The results reveal significant variation in vessel forms and capacities, suggesting differences in cooking techniques and food preparation strategies on each side of the Aegean. While one side exhibits continuity in traditional practices, other shows evidence of adaptation and innovation, possibly linked to shifting social and economic conditions during the Late Bronze Age. These findings contribute to a broader understanding of culinary traditions and regional diversity in the prehistoric Aegean through the lens of cooking pottery.