More on Beer and Civilization
"Patrick McGovern is resurrecting the libations that fueled civilization," reports Smithsonian.com's Abigail Tucker — The Beer Archaeologist. "He has identified the world’s oldest known barley beer (from Iran’s Zagros Mountains, dating to 3400 B.C.), the oldest grape wine (also from the Zagros, circa 5400 B.C.) and the earliest known booze of any kind, a Neolithic grog from China’s Yellow River Valley brewed some 9,000 years ago."
The article informs us that "McGovern, in fact, believes that booze helped make us human," saying, "Fermented beverages are at the center of religions all around the world. [Alcohol] makes us who we are in a lot of ways."
The article informs us that "McGovern, in fact, believes that booze helped make us human," saying, "Fermented beverages are at the center of religions all around the world. [Alcohol] makes us who we are in a lot of ways."
Labels: Archeology, Drink, Perennialism, Persia, Religion, The Middle Kingdom
4 Comments:
A good observation, both the the antiquity and role that beer and wine have played in human civilization. This is why the comparison of alcohol with other intoxicants -- primarily marijuana but also other illegal drugs -- is invalid. Alcohol has a long and sacred history in human civilization. The other drugs do not (aside from isolated examples).
I'll agree, but allow the Indians their peyote as one of your "isolated examples."
Yes, that was one of the examples I had in mind. Within the Christian tradition, however, there is no warrant for using drugs.
I'll give you that.
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