Could an Egyptian pharaoh or a Chinese emperor have used a steep drink or two to build their kingdoms? Although we did not know the details of the drunk acts of ancient leaders, there is no doubt that alcohol has been a basic food for society for thousands of years. Some researchers went so far as to claim that alcohol has helped establish societies – an idea known as the “drunk hypothesis”.
A new study published in Humanities and social sciences communications Back up the drunk hypothesis, finding a link between alcohol and complex societies. Evidence in several crops show that alcohol in ancient times was much more than a simple liquid way to detach.
Alcohol around the ancient world
The drunk hypothesis certainly has legs, if historical files are an indication. The first civilizations were known to taste a range of libations, such as beer, wine and mead.
Beer was an essential drink Egypt dynasticWith proof of its value indicated in administrative files and art in the graves. He was brewed for all religious festivals, but for the most part, it was a real workers’ drink – workers who worked on the pyramid of Giza probably killed a few beers after a day of hard work.
Early Mediterranean societies were, not surprisingly, partial to winewhich has become an important commercial product in the region. However, the sommeliers of ancient Greece often wanted the taste of wine without the intoxicating side effects, diluting wine with water to keep a head clear.
In Bronze Age China, alcohol was used in funeral ceremonies, in which ships filled with fermented cereal drinks The ancestors were offered in the hope of bringing wealth and power to the living.
And in the Inca Empire, alcohol seemed to be the great equalizer. Chicha – A corn farmented drink – has been transmitted in parties sponsored by the state, unique leaders and common people.
Learn more:: When was the beer invented and where was the oldest alcohol in the world?
Porger on consumption data
In the new study, researchers have examined data on the consumption of fermented drinks from a global sample of 186 non -industrial companies.
“To understand the association between alcohol and cultural complexity, we have used statistical models which take different possible explanations of what happened into account. statement.
The researchers examined the societies of variable political complexity, of those who lacked centralized political authority to the major states organized in several administrative levels. By taking information to all the companies examined, they have built a set of data based on the presence of indigenous low alcohol drinks like cereal beers and fruit wines.
How alcohol has built companies
The researchers found a positive relationship between fermented drinks and higher levels of political complexity, but they noted that the relationship was lower with the addition of agriculture as confusion. They argue that in most cases, “alcohol production is a consequence or by-product of agriculture rather than its cause”.
Although fermented drinks can also be made from wild plants picked by hunter-gatherers, it was only at the start of agriculture that companies could “enjoy the advantages of alcohol on a large scale”.
Thanks to agriculture, alcohol has become deeply rooted in society in many ways. For the lower classes, this helped extend social cohesion by being an important part of the holidays. The leaders, on the other hand, used it to build alliances, acquire social prestige and motivate workers.
Alcohol has been demonstrated occasionally, the researchers say that researchers say that in ancient times, its social benefits tended to prevail over the negative effects of poisoning. Thus, to celebrate the past of alcohol, raise a drink to ancient societies and their love of everything that is watered!
Learn more:: Was the first beer brewed for the dead?
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Jack Knudson is a deputy editor -in -chief to discover with a strong interest in environmental sciences and history. Before joining Discover in 2023, he studied journalism at the Ohio University Scripps College of Communication and previously interned at recycling Today Magazine
