[mesofile]

> She argues that in the majority of unearthed royal palaces, the kitchens were very small

This doesn’t seem to allow for the possibility that they would have brought in caterers with their own equipment, as many people throwing a large dinner would still do, and not relied entirely on the house facilities? It’s my (very inexpert) understanding that most kitchens in pre-modern homes were rather cramped, foul spaces, often semi- or fully detached due to odors, smoke, and the risk of fire spreading to the main living quarters. One could see how even in a grand house the kitchen might only be suitable to cook for a small number of people.

Of course I don’t doubt that in these matters Mary Beard knows far more than I do, but that particular line of reading struck me as odd.