Mnemosyne Kids presents
The Mystery of the Missing Meal
An archaeological adventure into the foods of the past.
Stage 1 · A Mystery Beneath the Ground
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Stage 2 · Fieldwork
Explore the Excavation
Search the archaeological site for clues about ancient food.
Clues discovered: 0 / 5
Move your magnifying glass around the excavation to search for tiny clues. When you spot something interesting, select it to investigate.
Move the magnifying glass around the excavation.
Explore discoveries without spatial searching
Choose an undiscovered area to investigate. This list makes the activity fully accessible by keyboard or screen reader.
Stage 3 · Examine the Evidence
Stage 4 · The Ancient Menu
The Ancient Menu
You've discovered the clues. Now, can you reconstruct the meal?
Examine each illustrated dish and decide which archaeological evidence supports it. Several meals may be plausible. “Not enough evidence” is also an important answer.
Test a reconstruction
Choose a dish above to begin.
Select the evidence that supports your reasoning. You may choose more than one clue, or choose “None of the Above” if the evidence is insufficient.
Stage 4 · Final Challenge
Reconstruct the Meal
Choose one or more dishes you believe could reasonably have been prepared at the settlement. A strong reconstruction fits the evidence without claiming more than we know.
Stage 5 · Case Closed?
One final question
Why can't archaeologists always know exactly what ancient people ate?
Stage 5 · Case Closed?
Case Closed?
You've solved an ancient food mystery! Or have you?
Congratulations, archaeologist! You searched an ancient settlement, investigated food evidence, and reconstructed a possible meal.
Archaeologists rarely discover the complete story. They use what survives to build the most convincing explanations possible. Sometimes there is more than one reasonable interpretation. At other times, the most important thing to say is, “We don't know yet.”
Mnemosyne Kids
Ancient Food Detective
You investigated the past using archaeological evidence!
- 5 clues discovered
- 5 investigations completed
- Final reconstruction completed