This book is an exciting new text about the true origins of the hospitality and tourism industry, identifying how an understanding of the past can inform modern approaches to hospitality and tourism management. It includes a detailed and factual account of the origins of the underlying principles and practices of hospitality and tourism; provides a unique insight into the evolution of hospitality and the roles of 'guest' and 'host' as we recognize them today; focusses on the social, economic and geographical influences from Classical Antiquity to the Renaissance; serves as an introductory text for Hospitality and Tourism Studies, as well as providing a sound foundation for postgraduate studies.