The hierarchy of cereals by an ancient scientist in De alimentorum Facultatibus I: the properties of grain for bread making

Abstract

When approaching the nature of things, Galen of Pergamon tends to use an analytic process based on the relation between different elements interacting in a particular system. With respect to ancient eating habits and health, this way of collecting information and formulating hypotheses has a kind of potential for generating hierarchies and is attested to in De alimentorum facultatibus I, in which foodstuffs are evaluated considering the particular result expected on a subject’s metabolism. This paper aims to describe the manner by which a hierarchical construction is made in respect to the qualities of grains. In order to understand how such a method serves Galen’s science, it offers a systematization of his commentaries and notes on the different kinds of grains and their nutritional properties in the equation: human body condition + (cereal + type of processing) = body reaction.