A History of the World in Sex Glasses Essay

Beer, the first beverage appeared as a result of changed lifestyle for the early humans. Before, humans were nomads, who would follow their food (pg. 9). But starting about 12,000 years ago humans had picked up on a new lifestyle (pg. 9). These small bands of about 30 people were now settling down in more permanent areas and had abandoned their old ways of constantly traveling (pg. 9). This drastic turning point in human history seemed to primarily come from one reason, the discovery of beer (pg.11). As beer was basically formed from the gathering of barley and wheat, humans had to form some type of permanent residency, and abandon their old nomadic lifestyle (pg.11).

The idea that the humans were beginning to enter a period of progress, and abandon the way of their hunter-gather lifestyle is repeated in these paragraphs. The concept of this dramatic shift is essentially the main subject. Although there is little information within the two sections that regard the presence of beer in Mesopotamia and Egypt, I believe Thomas Standage wanted the reader to know that beer was an important aspect of the daily lives of the people in Mesopotamia and Egypt of all levels within the social classes.

A History of the World in 6 Glasses by Tom Standage is about six drinks (beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea, and coca-cola) and how they have affected the world in the past and the present. All of these drinks were invented in different eras, and the inventions of these drinks were affected by what had occurred in the time period.

There are many things that shape the course of history. Powerful rulers, deadly diseases, and influential religions are a few common examples of these. But, one group of influential commodities to shape history that not many people consider is beverages. In particular, beer, wine, spirits, tea, coffee, and cola are six that have significantly shaped the course of history. The nonfiction book, A History of the World in 6 Glasses, written by Tom Standage, discusses the significance of these six popular drinks in relation to human culture shaping around their existence.

Wine has been a part of Western history since the Neolithic Period (8,500-4,000 B.C.), when cultures first started to develop permanent communities, and stopped being nomadic hunter-gatherers (U. Penn, 2000). One of the earliest written records of the consumption of wine is recorded in the Bible and the impact of wine on Mediterranean cultures became more pronounced over the years as the geopolitical situation stabilized in the region under the Roman Empire. Roman Imperialism helped to spread the production of wine across most of the countries in the Empire, which included most of North Africa and Southern Europe (Britannica, 2000). During that same era, wine became ingrained in the Christian faith and is still used in Christian mass today. The close tie between wine and the Christian faith aided to the spread of wine production and wine consumption across Europe

As beer started becoming a necessity, it showed the strong need for agriculture in society. People came together, to make an industry of beer, and creating civilizations.

Beer started out as gruel, and as the gruel fermented it turned into beer. Now it was not the first form of alcohol, but it was an important kind of alcohol. Beer was made from cereal crops, which were very abundant, and because it was so abundant it could be made whenever it was needed. They then found an even easier way to make beer by using beer-bread. Beer bread is basically everything needed to make beer in a loaf, making it convenient to store the raw beer materials. Beer started as just a social drink but then blossomed into a “hallmark of civilization”, as seen by the Mesopotamians. Grain was the basis of the national diet, it was

1. The discovery of beer is linked to the growth of the first civilizations because in both cultures of Mesopotamia and Egypt, beer was the main drink. It was consumed by everyone and was known as the defining drink of both of the first great civilizations.

Beer originated in Egypt and Mesopotamia during the Neolithic period. Beer was not so much an ‘invention’ as it was a ‘discovery.’ It was a very social drink, meaning both the rich and the poor consumed it and due to the fact it was used in many religious ceremonies. Beer was also a reason that people during the Neolithic period adopted agriculture. Some purposes for the use of beer include wages for workers. Instead of paying workers with physical money, they instead paid them with beer. Beer also proved to have many medicinal benefits.

In the chapters “A Stone-Age Brew” and “Civilized Beer” from the book A History of the World in 6 Glasses, Tom Standage describes how beer affected the lives of the first humans who lived in year-round settlements and later in the first civilizations in Mesopotamia and Egypt. Beer played a significant role in turning the first humans from hunter gatherers to farmers. Beer was discovered in the Fertile Crescent around 12,000 years ago, when gruel derived from gathered grains (a staple food) that was in storage fermented. These ancient groups of hunter-gatherers found this beverage “slightly fizzy and pleasantly intoxicating” (Standage 15) and realized it was more easily made than other alcoholic drinks. Over time, the quality and variety of beer increased by trial and error.

In Tom Standage’s novel a History in Six Glasses, Standage credits the discovery of beer and wine to the Neolithic Revolution. The Neolithic Revolution allowed humans to abandon their previous nomadic lifestyle they had in the Paleolithic era, and instead to discover how to produce agriculture and raise cattle. Humans were able to establish settlements in fertile areas with predictable climate, like the Fertile Crescent, resulting in farming spreading throughout the region. Rice and wheat became one of the first plants they cultivated, and eventually the production of beer and wine came to be. Beer was discovered when humans began to store and ferment grain. Soon, because of how easy and accessible grain was beer began to dominate the Egyptian

He starts off in at the beginning of time in Egypt and Mesopotamia. Standage discusses one of the first world-known beverages; beer. He begins talking about the collection of cereal grains, farming, migration, and the civilizations that were first created next to rivers in these areas. Standage explains, “In both cultures, beer was a staple foodstuff without which no meal was complete. It was consumed by everyone, rich and poor, men and women, adults and children, from the top of the social pyramid to the bottom. It was truly the defining drink of these first great civilizations" (30). It was use in social situations, as a form of currency, religious offering, and it was soon discovered that it was safer to drink than water, which was often contaminated. He explains the social and religious situations that Beer was used here during the earliest of times. Next, Standage discusses the discovery of wine through Roman and Greek culture. At first, wine went hand-in-hand with social class because of how expensive and difficult to find it was. While the commoners drank beer, the wealthy and in-charge drank wine to prove their power. It was consumed in Greek

Eventually beer also had other qualities that allowed farming to progress and that is that beer was not harmful to humans as water was (21). Because of this people found out different ways in which they could produce this drink by having different forms of agriculture advancing its form from regular seeds being planted to massive productions, just as did the Greeks and Romans did by using their slave population to farm all of their grapes for the wine in order to drive a successful wine market (71). Farming allowed for populations to grow from small villages to cities to then allow the adoption of beer and wine to become an essential product that drove agriculture to the civilization and growth of people. Along the same lines we can also see how this development of beer due to farming allowed people to become more than just any regular barbaric man, and show that they were people with class.

What 's more refreshing on a hot summer day than a nice cold beer? Or how about drinking a nice cold one with some buddies after work at a local bar, sound nice doesn 't it? Beer has been around for many years and will probably be around for many more. A beer is any variety of alcoholic beverages produced by the fermentation of starchy material derived from grains or other plant sources. The production of beer and some other alcoholic beverages is often called brewing. Most every culture has there own tradition and the own take on beer, thus producing many different styles and variations.

According to an anonymous author, “The stomach is the center and origin of civilization” (Armstrong, “The Stomach is the Center and Origin of Civilization”). Food played a crucial role in the rise of civilization. It spurred on the transition from a hunter and gather way of life to a sedentary and domesticated lifestyle, especially through agriculture and the development of farming. Ancient Egypt grew many of the crops used in the Old World, producing a variety of fruits, vegetables and grains to supplement their diet of fish, poultry and dairy. Specifically, their cereal plants such as wheat, barley and rye, aided in the evolution of bread and beer, influencing not only Egyptian society, but also the surrounding territories. Ancient Egyptians artifacts have been uncovered, providing evidence of the importance of bread and beer. (Tucker, “The Beer Archeologist”). It was consumed daily by people of all ages and social ranking. They incorporated it into their daily life but also made specialized beer and bread for feasts and special occasions. Out of Egypt came new methods for baking and brewing grains, gradually developing into the food and beverage we see today. There are three important ideas to consider when studying bread and beer in Egypt, including its origin, how it was made and its cultural, political and economic significance. By examining bread and beer in ancient Egypt, it is clear that they contributed greatly to the progression of civilization, from the early