BBC Learning English The English We Speak Food for thought Exploring the Advantages of Living Abroad Food Scene Food and Society in Classical Antiquity. This is a broad based, comprehensive general study of food in antiquity. The book deals with food as food or nutrition, the discussion revolving around the concrete issues of food availability and the nutritional status of the population. It also treats the nonfood uses of food, focusing on the role of food in forming and marking the social hierarchy. Food defines the group, whether social, religious, philosophical or political.