In recent years, mushrooms have increasingly attracted public attention, particularly in the contexts of nutrition, medical research, and, above all, (forest) ecology—not to mention the phenomenon of “magic mushrooms.” Many of the underlying relationships and mechanisms are still poorly understood or only beginning to be explored. Yet certain uses and properties appear to have been known for a very long time: one need only think of the birch polypore and tinder fungus carried by the glacier mummy “Ötzi.” This raises the question of the extent of mycological knowledge and the various contexts of mushroom use in antiquity.

At present, there is no substantial body of research on this topic; at best, one finds annotated collections of relevant textual references. At first glance, the field appears to contain more gaps than established knowledge. Closer examination, however, reveals a number of remarkable insights. I aim to explore and develop this field anew, focusing, for example, on mushrooms as food, medicine, or poison, as well as on the cultivation, transport, and preservation of mushrooms in antiquity.

Overall, considerable research potential remains for a cultural history of mushrooms. Particular attention will be devoted to the evidently rare and hitherto largely unexplored visual evidence, as well as to archaeological methods that make it possible to detect fungal spores (non-pollen palynomorphs) in the context of archaeological investigations. This also offers valuable opportunities for collaboration with other disciplines in both the humanities and the natural sciences.