Primordial Brew: Did Alcohol Inspire the Cultivation of Civilization?
Sure, it behooved our Neolithic ancestors to band together and form proto-civilizations for many reasons, but one main motivation, according to archaeologist Patrick McGovern -- who works, and we kid you not, at the University of Pennsylvania Museum's Biomolecular Archaeology Laboratory for Cuisine, Fermented Beverages, and Health -- was the time-honored pursuit of alcoholic intoxication.
Sure, it behooved our Neolithic ancestors to band together and form proto-civilizations for many reasons, but one main motivation, according to archaeologist Patrick McGovern — who works, and we kid you not, at the University of Pennsylvania Museum’s Biomolecular Archaeology Laboratory for Cuisine, Fermented Beverages, and Health — was the time-honored pursuit of alcoholic intoxication. –KA
Wait, before you go…Spiegel Online via Arts & Letters Daily:
Humankind’s first encounters with alcohol in the form of fermented fruit probably occurred in just such an accidental fashion. But once they were familiar with the effect, archaeologist Patrick McGovern believes, humans stopped at nothing in their pursuit of frequent intoxication.
A secure supply of alcohol appears to have been part of the human community’s basic requirements much earlier than was long believed. As early as around 9,000 years ago, long before the invention of the wheel, inhabitants of the Neolithic village Jiahu in China were brewing a type of mead with an alcohol content of 10 percent, McGovern discovered recently.
If you're reading this, you probably already know that non-profit, independent journalism is under threat worldwide. Independent news sites are overshadowed by larger heavily funded mainstream media that inundate us with hype and noise that barely scratch the surface. We believe that our readers deserve to know the full story. Truthdig writers bravely dig beneath the headlines to give you thought-provoking, investigative reporting and analysis that tells you what’s really happening and who’s rolling up their sleeves to do something about it.
Like you, we believe a well-informed public that doesn’t have blind faith in the status quo can help change the world. Your contribution of as little as $5 monthly or $35 annually will make you a groundbreaking member and lays the foundation of our work.
Support Truthdig
World
A comprehensive new study shows how neoliberal interventions sowed the seeds of crisis across the subcontinent.
Ear to the Ground
Will ballooning wartime debt allow agribusiness to make a feast of Ukrainian agriculture?
Environment
Trillions of gallons of precipitation turned the Salinas River into a torrent.
Labor
Advocates seek to counter cultural stigma and the harsh effects of COVID-19 with innovative approaches to reaching a vulnerable population.
News
As production stifles biodiversity, depletes water reserves and takes over wild land, environmentalists worry about Mexico's "green gold."
Africa
Lifting a ban on GMOs will not help food insecurity in Kenya.
There are currently no responses to this article.
Be the first to respond.