Description of Beer in History of the Worlds in Six Glasses by Tom Standage

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).

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

2. The author uses sources that date back to the Stone Age, to gather his information on the use of beer. He outlines how society changed from being hunter-gatherers, and relying on the environment for nutrition, to farmers who were independent of scavenging the environment for nutrition.

1. The author’s main thesis in setting up this book is that many drinks have built and brought together human history in to what we know about it.

Tom Standage’s A History of the World in Six Glasses discusses the importance of six beverages (beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea, Coca-Cola), each of which define distinctive periods of civilization. The comparably minor, yet crucial role of water is also represented in support of Standage’s argument regarding not only the necessity of each drink as a requisite to life, but also the role of each drink as a stimulus for cultural diffusion and development. Various historical developments, ranging from water purification to convivia, are utilized to depict each beverage’s appeal and the contributions of each drink towards its respective era of prosperity, subsequently illustrating various historical themes that mark the progression of society

As a result of the Neolithic Revolution, ‘the ability to store grain began to encourage people to stay in one place” (18) , causing there to be a food surplus. Years later, this surplus of food in societies like Ancient Egypt, expanded to the point that beer had become such a commodity, even “ workers who built the pyramids were paid in beer” (37). Mesopotamia also adopted beer as a form of currency “ taxes in the form of grain and other goods were presented at the temple and were redistributed to fund public works” (33) . Beer even helped develop one of the first forms of writing called cuneiform in which “ Sumerian wage lists and tax receipts” were documented (30). This showed that beer had evolved from just being staple foodstuffs. It had become a way of a convenient form of payment. Wine, unlike beer was expensive in the beginning therefore, it was more valuable than beer. Wine production eventually increased and so did long-distance trade. Maritime trade had increased to the point that it was cheaper to transport over long distance. This meant that there were fewer borders to cross, which resulted in “ fewer taxes and tolls there were to pay” (42). This resulted in Roman wine makers “ shipping their own wine” (58) after dominating Greek wine trade. Wine’s importance in Greek islands was clear by “ the appearance of wine-related imagery on Greek coins” (45) Wine had become so accessible that even the lower class drank

The first economic system was heavily influenced by beer. Both Mesopotamians and Egyptians used beer as a form of payment. For example, the Sumerians paid women and children, in the form of beer, for working at the temple. In addition, beer was issued as a bonus for government worker. Egyptians used bread similarly, paying workers who build pyramids, in the form of beer (37). This shows, beer was significant because it established one of the first currencies within the ancient civilization. Eventually, beer became ostracized and no longer was considered an acceptable form of payment rather a drink for the common fold. In contrast, Wine was not a drink that was often used for direct payment in the Greek and Roman culture, but it was associated

Beer’s relationship with writing, commerce, and health was a good one. “That is because writing was originally invented to record the collection and distribution of grain, beer, bread, and other goods” (pg 30). In early Mesopotamian writing, beer was a recognizable jar shape, and as the years went by, the written symbol for beer gradually become more abstract (pg 34). Furthermore, beer had a huge effect on the economy. Beer was the currency and was paid in silas, a measurement roughly equivalent to a liter. For example, junior officials of the Sumerian workforce were paid two silas each day, higher officials and court ladies were paid three silas, and the highest officials

Beer and wine might have been one of the first drinks that caused humans to civilize and create a great community. In fact Tom Standage introduces us to this idea of these early drinks shaping human culture in his book A History of a World in Six Glasses. As Standage informs us about how beer was one of the causes in early settlement, and why farming was led to a great success because of the use of beer. Standage also mentions a start in traditions and a formation of government due to these drinks. Although beer being very important, Standage also introduces us to wine as a form of a class status that helped man distinguishing barbarism to a world of high standards and manners allowing for the community to become more cultured and

The Sumerians and Egyptians used beer as a social drink because it could truly be shared by two people at once with the use of a straw unlike food. These cultures also used beer as a gift to the gods in many religious ceremonies.

The origins of beer and it’s history have been dated back to around 7000 BC in China where the Chinese would produce fermented drinks that were made of rice and fruit. Additionally, research has found that at around 3500-3100 BC, fermented drinks that could closely resemble beer were brewed in Western Iran. Through it’s thousands of years of production and utilization within societies, beer has been playing an important role in many different cultures throughout history. In fact, according to CBS news, “The brewing of alcohol seems to have been a very early development linked with initial domestication, seen during Neolithic times in China, the Sudan, the first pottery in Greece and possibly with the first use of maize.” (CBS NEWS) Thus, it would be safe to argue that beer played a notable part in the development of early civilizations around the globe. Continuing on with it’s vast history, at around 3000 BC, beer and the practices of it’s brewing and production began to spread out from the Middle East to European civilizations through tribes of Germanic and Celtic origins. Jumping forward to the years of the industrial revolution in the 19th century, beer was finally ridded of it’s domestically-produced roots and moved on to be a widely popular, income-drawing business through means of industrial production. As of today, the production and distribution of beer has bloomed far

Archaeologists have uncovered ancient Babylonian beer recipes engrave on clay tablets as early as 3500 B.C. This early beer was very crude and many people today would probably not consider drinking it today as it had bread chunks and had the consistency similar to porridge. To drink this ancient beer people would consume it using straws to filter out sediment and large chunks.

The wines are divided into two categories, the old world wine and the new world wine. When Hugh Johnson came up with his concept of these two worlds, people have started to find out the differences. Wines are beverages of gods, and people enjoy them and have their own understanding of wines. The old world wines are traditional while the new world wines are modern. In this research paper, I will tell the difference(s) between these two worlds’ wines in aspects of their natures, cultures, histories, as well as their developments today.

From its initial introduction in 10,000 B.C., alcohol has played a vital role in the development of civilization. Alcoholic beverages have been used for pleasure, nourishment, medication, religious, payment, and ceremonial purposes. Ancient Egyptians frequently drunk alcoholic beverages for religious reasons and other special occasions; after all, they viewed alcohol as a “necessity of life.” Around 200 B.C., alcohol was also popular among Romans, especially after conquering much of Italy which prompted the degeneracy of traditional Roman morals. Even among Hebrews, alcohol became so useful that they began to believe it was a “blessing from God and a symbol of joy” (“History of Alcohol and Drinking”). Alcohol has had many beneficial uses; however, since its initial introduction over 10,000 years ago, it has constantly been a problem due to its numerous, negative effects on the health and hygiene of people. Some of these effects include confusion, memory and concentration

Alcoholic beverages have been around for thousands of years, some Stone Age beer jugs show that fermented beverages were being produced as early as 10,000 B.C.[Hanson, David J. 1997]. In the past beer was used as a substitute to drinking water, it was considered safer due to the unsanitary ways that water was delivered, as the process boiled off any bacteria [Cahill, Mero M. There are many different types of alcoholic beverages on the market, these are classified into the following groups beer, wine and spirits (Alcoholic Beverages).