Death (and burial) by chocolate, by A.J. BAILEY (via Heritage Jam)
We love the past. We love cake. But can we have both? Well, these delightful creations just go to show… we greedy archaeologists really can have archaic and eat it too!
Here’s 10 of the best, most delicious archaeology cakes we’ve ever had the pleasure of digging into. So c’mon, get stuck in! Just make sure you section them carefully… after all, who needs a cake slice when a trowel will do?
1. The Stratigraphy cake
This cake was made for phosphate-analysis specialist Dr Johanna Ullrich. On top there’s an Ogham stone, a grey box marked ‘phosphate analysis’, and the blue book is Renfrew and Bahn’s Archaeology: theories, methods and practice. (via archaeology.co.uk)
2. The Spoil Heap cake
Talk about being spoiled on your birthday! Made for DigVentures own Brendon Wilkins, this one’s got to be one of the most creative deconstructions of the concept “archaeology cake”. All kinds of chocolate all just chucked into one big spoil heap. No need to sieve this one!
3.The Iron Age Roundhouse cake
Rebekah Hart, we salute you! Not so much one for the Great British Bake Off as an installment of Carry On Baking, this valiant effort was featured in issue 260 of Current Archaeology. Representing an Iron Age roundhouse, we’re sure it tastes delicious. (via Current Archaeology)
4. The Flag Fen Causeway cake
Happy international bog day.. #flagfenlives pic.twitter.com/EuoE1b4L
— Kezia Evans (@KeziaEvans1) July 29, 2012
What better way to celebrate International Bog Day (27th July) than with a cake the shape of one of Flag Fen’s bog-straddling timber causeways? All you need is some chocolate fingers for the wooden uprights, more chocolate fingers for the planks and some super squidgy chocolate to set it all in. This one was made by the DigVentures crew while on site at Flag Fen. Frankly, we think this is probably the most deserving date in the calendar.
5. The Indiana Jones cake
It belongs in a museum. Natch. (via Green Jello).
6. The Stonehenge cake
Hands off druids! This one’s ours!
7. The Acropolis cake
Joint birthday party for classics’ three graces Mary Beard, Pat Easterling and Joyce Reynolds today. What a cake! pic.twitter.com/kR0JmHxQVS — Joy Lo Dico (@joy_lo_dico) September 20, 2014
Now we’re getting fancy! This one was made for superstar classicist Mary Beard on her birthday this year. Have to admit though, if we came across this one in real life we’d find it hard to resist going all Elgin on it and just helping ourselves. Those pediments do look ever so tasty!
8. The Neolithic Burial cake
Oh yum! Made by Niamh Kelly for the 50th anniversary of the first excavations at Knowth by Professor Eogan, this one represents one of the neolithic passage tombs estimated to date from 2500 to 2000 BCE (the mounds, that is, not the cake). (via worldirish.com)
9. The Great Wall of China cake
One of the entrants at the Nilgiris Cake Exhibition in 2008, which also featured a person-sized reconstruction of Petra made entirely of sponge. We can’t help but think things are just starting to get a bit silly…
10. The One-For-A-Real-Taste-of-the-Past cake
Last, but by no means least, how could we leave you without a cake cooked according to an actual ancient recipe? You can search them out online, but this Roman Sweet Cake with rosemary and grapes is a particular fave. De gustibus non est disputandum.
If you’ve got some archaeology cake ideas, or can point us to a great ancient recipe, leave your suggestions in the comments!
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Written by Maiya
Director of Engagement at DigVentures, Maiya digs with a trowel in one hand, and a Twitter feed in the other. She loves finding new ways to get people involved in archaeology - online and in the field.
Comments (17)
This is amazing!!! The Iron Age burial one is my favourite…but isn’t the date on it a little out? 1st and 2nd millennium AD doesn’t quite correspond with the British and Irish Iron Age?
Made the list twice! Thanks digventures! But 8 is more correctly a Neolithic Passage tomb.
The iron age burial cake is a megalithic passage grave, so neolithic. It’s a clear and definite example. The clue is in the excavation at Knowth.
Thanks both. Now updated!
This is quite interesting. I am on the organizing committee this academic year for weekly research seminars in the University of Leicester archaeology department and for each talk we have a themed cake. Follow us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/UoLeicester-SAAH-Research-Seminar-Series/128443177217656
We’re following! Send us some pics of the cakes… Maybe even save us a slice or two???
I made this cake when some of my coworkers left our office: http://dressedupinwords.tumblr.com/tagged/archaeology_cake
This is brilliant! Is the brickwork made of Pez? Because that is SO ingenious.
This is maybe the best article about cakes ever. 😉
Totally inspiring. Personal fave has to be the spoilheap cake though…
Archaeologists cakes are fascinating! I am anthropologist. I haven’t made any anthropologists cake but this is what I imagine it might look like.
Howcan I post a pic?
Hey! Love that you love the archaeology cakes! We’d love to see your anthropology cakes! If you’ve got pics, you can email them to us, or post them to us on facebook or Twitter… I’m so curious, please send! Maiya
My son, Mark and a girl friend made a cake representing the layers of a Roman road while in High School.
I seriously need to eat the first one!!
Hmmm, I would have thought that the last cake represented a post mould …
The first one, for Hanna, was made by Niamh Kelly as well, I believe.
Search for khirbet qeiyafa cake.