to zooarchaeologists, most other readers will prob- ably be satisﬁed by the syntheses of this evidence that appear in Volume 4. One further point is that given the extensive sieving undertaken at the site and the size of the recovered bone collections it is likely that further information may be forthcoming from these collections with further work. The assemblages should be a useful source of raw material for students and researchers alike. References Dobney, K., Milles, A., Jaques, D. and Irving, B. 1994. Material Assessment of the Animal Bone Assemblage from Flixborough. York: Reports from the Environmental Archaeology Unit, York 94/6, 9 pp. JAMES RACKHAM The Environmental Archaeology Consultancy, UK Mylona, D. 2008. Fish-Eating in Greece from the Fifth Century B.C. to the Seventh Century A.D. A Story of Impoverished Fishermen or Luxurious Fish Banquets? (BAR International Series 1754). Oxford: Archaeopress. 171 pp. ISBN-13: 978-1-4073-0193-8. £31 (paperback). This volume of the BAR International Series represents the published form of Dimitra Mylona’s PhD thesis, completed at the University of Southampton. The role of ﬁshing and ﬁsh consump- tion in Greece from the classical to the Late Roman periods is approached in a comprehensive manner, using philosophical concepts such as ancient human ideas about themselves, animals, and the aquatic environment as a background against which to discuss archaeological and zoological ﬁndings. With this approach, the author considers several lines of evidence to address the role of ﬁsh in Greek society. These range from the contribution of ﬁsh as a food resource based on ﬁsh remains, to the social position of ﬁshermen, to differences between dis- tribution and marketing of fresh and preserved ﬁsh, to cultural categorisations of ﬁsh and the social and ideological impacts of species preferences and con- sumption practices. Additionally, semiotics and the ideological implications of ﬁsh consumption through time and amongst different social or political groups are studied. To accomplish these goals, the author compiles data about ﬁsh resources exploited in the Hellenistic area. She shows that ﬁshing took place almost everywhere in ancient Greece: by the sea, in lagoons and inland in lakes and rivers. Fishermen tried to make the most of their local ﬁsh resources, regardless of the abundance of ﬁsh in their local waters. Consequently, ﬁsh was part of the diet in all areas of Greece. In many cases, the local intensity and importance of ﬁsh production cannot be adequately quantiﬁed because the available data are unsuited to the task. However, in certain areas the nature of the ﬁshery can be ascertained on the basis of indirect evidence, e.g. by the production and marketing of preserved ﬁsh, and by the mention of taxes on ﬁshing in state treatises. In the case of Phaselis (Asia Minor), the existence of a special maritime or ﬁshing culture can be seen based on the existence of many archaeological remains such as ﬁsh bones and ﬁsh-related technology, a special lexicon, and geo- graphically speciﬁc ﬁsh-related myths, beliefs and superstitions. More broadly, ﬁsh were a cult element in the entire Greek world during the centuries under study. Fish were intensely involved in cultic pro- cesses, for instance as part of feasting and as sacriﬁcial animals for gods and heroes. The preferred ﬁsh species for eating or sacriﬁce differed by ethnicity, but also regionally, based on availability and quality. Just like in ancient Italy (Schmo ¨ lcke and Nikulina 2008) the literary sources are laconic on preferences regarding consumption of freshwater ﬁsh, but eloquent on the marine ones. An important source in this context is the Akraephia ﬁsh price list, an inscription dated to the Hellenistic period. Although many of the species are unidenti- ﬁed, marine and freshwater ﬁsh are clearly distin- guished in the list. Their quality and price was judged by size, with the largest individuals being most expensive, and with premium prices for select body parts. The price list conﬁrms the high regard for abdominal portions of tuna and eel, but also of some unidentiﬁed freshwater species. In general, however, freshwater ﬁsh was quite cheap compared to marine ﬁsh. In contrast to the importance and extent of ﬁshing, the ancient Greek ﬁshermen are poorly known. Rarely mentioned in ancient texts, they have been little explored within modern archaeological and historical discourse. Although ﬁshermen and their craft, their lives, and their worldview are not central issues of this study, some literary sources and archaeological data about them are included. They show that being a ﬁsherman meant more than just catching ﬁsh; it was a whole way of life, with specialised knowledge, sets of social relations, and distinctive views of the world. This differentiation created a great distance between ﬁshermen and the inland urban consumers, who saw themselves as the educated elite, living in a world bounded by strict moral, social, political, and ideological values. Fishermen lived and worked in a world apart. Reviews Environmental Archaeology 2009 VOL 14 NO 2 201