One way in which past societies have coped with uncertain food supplies is by employing

storage as a strategy. From the earliest farmers at Tell Abu Hureyra

(Epipaleolithic/Neolithic), storage was being used as an approach. Underground pits were
discovered that were used as dry storage areas for meat. Additionally, grain was kept and
stored between crops. Furthermore, stratigraphic evidence from Dhra' (11300 BP) shows
suspended floors for air circulation, and protection from rodents. It is an example of large
scale sophisticated storage, as shown by granaries were even rebuilt over granaries from
previous stages of inhabitation, showing that storage was used as a method for the whole
200 years that the site was occupied. The advent of farming clearly stimulated storage due
to the sedentary nature of their lifestyle, and thus Neolithic sites are abundant in storage.
Knosson, Minaon Crete (7000 BCE), for instance, the oldest Neolithic site in Crete, shows
storage facilities located upon the ground floor. Further evidence of storage chambers are
found on hieroglyphic tablets found in the Old Palace. Kouloures, round storage pits, have
been suggested as fulfilling the role of a granary. Storage was not limited to one
geographical region, either. Medinet Habu (early 18th Dyn.), an Ancient Egyptian site, had
extensive storage facilities to cope with the large scale food production for religious and
ritual purposes. Beer was mass produced and kept in large storage jars, in which mashed
grain and water could ferment for a few days. Storage was also used in trade as wine was
imported from the Delta in hundreds of storage jars, as evidenced by the mud stoppers
which were recovered by archaeologists. The length of time was a great deal shorter here
however, since food preparation was constantly moving, and new produce would fill the jars
every few days. This is contrast to sites such as Fishbourne Roman Palace, where the
granaries stored grain which was only taken out when food supplies were scarce. This is
indicative of the level of uncertainty in the food supply of the societies, as Romans were
able to plan ahead and preserve food. This shows more foresight than the people of Tell Abu
Hureyra who would only store their grain between harvests. Preservation is key to our
understanding of past societies' methods of dealing with uncertain food supplies. Pompeii,
for instance, has excellent preservation due to the thick layer of ash that covered it in the
AD 79 eruption. This has enabled archaeologists to determine that the rich and poor shared
the same diet, as evidenced by the bread remains in over 30 bakeries. Terra cotta jars
buried in the ground have been estimated to be present in nearly 200 different
establishments, reflecting the equity in diet between the social classes, and is also evidence
of commercial storage rather than domestic storage. Genetic analysis of Roman amphorae
from a 2400 year old shipwreck off the Greek island of Chios evidenced amphorae
containing salad dressing. This luxury item provided evidence of trade, in which storage
was used to transport this food supply. Small scale storage was also in use much later, as
seen in Roman Ostia in which storage jars were used for a number of consumables. Large
scale storage in Roman Ostia was usually confined to the horrea, a secure vault typically
used for grains, as established through microscopic analysis of different seeds. Storage is
not exclusive to sedentary lifestyles, however, as evidenced by Head Smashed In, in which
wooden racks were used to dry Pemmican during the food preparation process. Hide
satchels called parfleche were used to seal and store the pemmican so it could be
transported easily. Storage overall is associated with the preparation of food and more
specifically a sedentary lifestyle which involved year round occupation and the need to plan
ahead to prepare for the lack of resources at certain times of the year, such as wheat
harvests.