Wine continues to be a staple in society, displayed in its prominent impact on culture and religion. It has paved the way for growth in both politics and philosophy; its involvement in trade allowed the spread of Greek ideas to reach many civilizations. Wine’s effect throughout human history is undeniable as it connected people from all over the world through trade and commerce. While it's true origins are lost and only recorded in “myth and legend”, it is believed that its first production was in the Neolithic period, between 9000 and 4000 BC (Standage 47). Wild grape vine, cereal crops, and the invention of pottery lead to wine production in areas of modern day Armenia and northern Iran. Reddish residue found inside a jar from a Neolithic village in the Zagros Mountains is the earliest physical evidence for wine (47). Wine’s possible origin in this region is mirrored in the story of Noah. …show more content…
From its historical birthplace, it continued to spread to the west (Greece) and south through the Levant. One of Egypt’s early ruler, King Scorpion was buried with seven hundred jars of wine displaying the significance of wine in early Egyptian culture. It was transported at great expense, signifying the rapid growth of wine production. The Pharaohs established their own vineyards in the Nile Delta and the beginning of limited domestic production was starting to kickoff, but in Mesopotamia, wine consumption remained only to the elite. Wine was not listed in ration tables for lower class members. The masses in both Egypt and eastern Mediterranean areas were still drinking beer, which made “access to wine a mark of status” (48). Wine became a symbol of status. As it began to gain popularity throughout the Near East and the eastern Mediterranean, wine was viewed as both a social and religion drink (49). Wine production increased and it became associated with other desirable offerings such as gold, silver,
Some thought it was super natural, others thought it was only for gods. Around 3150 BCE one of the earliest Egyptian Kings was buried with seven hundred jars of wine. Keep in mind that these jars had to transported, and it wasn’t cheap! On the other hand around 825 BCE, the Assyrians had wine drinking established to a formal social ritual. In Greece it was drunk at many formal drinking parties and believed that, “To rich and poor alike hath he granted the delight of wine, that makes all pain to cease.” (Page 53) Wine obviously contained alcohol, so many judged others by how they conducted themselves after drinking it. The Greeks always mixed their wine with water, opposed to the Scythians and Thracians who never mixed their wine with water. Wine as well had its own game! The name of the game was kottabos. It was played in certain rooms involving flicking the last drop of wine on targets. Now a days, it seems crazy, but back then it was considered to help with concentration. This section was filled with so many wonderful quotes from poets and philosophers that stuck in my head through-out the reading of this book. A Greek poet by the name of Aeschylus said, “Bronze is the mirror of the outward form; wine is the mirror of the mind.” (Page 56) Another quote comes from a Greek philosopher named Eratosthenes, “Wine reveals what is hidden,” (Page 62) Wine can still today “reveal what is hidden” that brings us to modern day
Wine has also impacted the world in many ways. If wine hadn 't been invented or discovered we would not have vineyard farming today. Wine was a very popular drink during the Roman and Grecian era. In fact wine was the main drink. Greek and Roman men would have get togethers called symposia. The sophisticated, formal, and intellectual atmosphere of the symposion reminded the Greeks of how civilized they were. It reminded that they weren 't just there to drink wine, they were there to discuss many things as well. Wine
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
The banning of wine in Islamic culture would be the basic start for the banning of many other foods. The prophet Muhammad's ban on alcohol is said to have started from a fight between two men who were under the influence. When Muhammad sought divine help from the one and only Allah, Allah's reply was to ban alcohol so that such a thing could not happen again. As for wine, it had a different story for the development of Christianity. Wine drinking was a tradition of Greeks and Romans. When "barbarians" took over Rome and Greece, wine drinking seemed to have halted. But as time went on, barbarians began to take up wine drinking again, sort of assimilating themselves into Greek culture. Barbarians soon became civilized, all thanks to the tradition of wine drinking.
People used wine to show that they are successful and have a higher social status ranking than others, leaving the ones who weren't wealthy and unsuccessful without wine. This began the first socially/economically divided empires. It was used in religious ceremonies, and used medicinally to heal wounds.
6. Wine is a part of a Catholic ritual where wine symbolizes the blood of Jesus Christ and Christianity began in the Roman Empire and became an important force in Europe after the change between Emperor Constantine. Wine was also uses for medical purposes as a pain killer.
Beer: Beer was not invented, it was discovered. Exactly when the first beer was brewed is unknown but there was almost certainly no beer before 10,000 BCE. The rise of beer was closely associated with the domestication of the cereal grains rom which it is made and the adoption of farming. Beer originated in the Fertile Crescent in Egypt and Mesopotamia. To beer drinkers in the Neolithic period, beer’s ability to intoxicate and induce a state of altered consciousness seemed magical. This caused them to believe beer was a gift from the Gods. Since it was a gift from the gods, it was presented as a religious offering in religious ceremonies, agricultural fertility rites, and in
Around 40 million people, half of Egypt’s population, lived in the Nile Delta region. The Nile flowed up towards the delta, making it easy for the Ancient Egyptians to trade goods, have water, and plant crops. The Nile river shaped Ancient Egyptian society by providing a seasonal calendar, an irrigation system to help with crops, and safe, secured, settlement lands. The Nile river helped shape Ancient Egypt Society by providing a seasonal calendar which dictated the harvest cycle.
Normally wine is started in the fall when the ripe grapes arc harvested. It is not ready to be tasted until at least the following May-the origin of the young, and often very harsh, ‘May Wine.’ This time sequence coincides with the typical school year and thus provides an ideal opportunity to have a continuing demonstration. As the year passes and the course progresses, continued reference can be made to the various stages of the wine production….
In a History of the Worlds in Six Glasses, Tom Standage describes beer as one of the oldest beverage. According to Standage the discovery of beer was around 10,000 BCE, it was made from grain that grew in the region called Fertile that could be stored and made wet or soaked to turn into beer (p 15). Beer was shared with several people and goes on to become a social drink. Standage goes on to explain about another beverage made with wild grapes vines produced between 9000 and 4000 BCE in northern Iran (p 47). Wine became a symbol of social differentiation and a form of conspicuous consumption. In this essay I will describe how Tom Stranger’s text discusses the relationship between beer and wine with their social behaviors and their
The relationship between alcoholic beverages and religion goes back thousands of years. The use of wine is at the heart of many Christian Religions and important Jewish ceremonies are marked by drinking a prescribe number of glasses. The Ancient Egyptians believe the much worship god Osiris. The ancient Egyptians made at least 17 types of beer and even more varieties of wine used for pleasure, nutrition, medicine, ritual and funerary purposes. In Babylon, the people worships wine deities,
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
Throughout human history,different time eras have been captured with a defining theme.History conveys what we know as America now the home of the free.The Greek Empire,Judeo-Christian teachings,and British history are all vital,But how did we obtain such...well success?
Although I wouldn’t prefer to live in the Greek time I do believe that it is the most interesting because of the intriguing culture, philosophy, plays and literature, and structures. The amount of progress in philosophy and culture makes the Greek era very recognizable and incredibly important for future of the world. Many things can call their start from the Greeks too, such as drama, comedy, modern philosophy, democracy, and the beginning of modern science. While the extravagant temples only exaggerate the magnificent and sturdy buildings the Greeks built and filled with incredible sculptures displaying arete at its finest. These things make the Greeks the most interesting culture for myself to learn and study about.
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