People have been drinking alcohol since ancient times. Archaeologists have found traces of it for thousands of years. Many anthropologists argue that it was brewing that became the main reason for the transition of mankind to a new economic and cultural type: from gatherers and hunters to farmers and livestock breeders.
Alcohol has been used throughout its history as a drink to "melt the ice" in diplomatic meetings and as an effective drug. Alcohol was and remains one of the most important inventions of mankind.
The oldest alcohol in the world
Archaeologists recently excavated the world's oldest pottery in China.
This time they managed to find the oldest traces of alcohol consumption to date. A chemical analysis of a broken clay amphora showed that the Chinese drank even in the seventh millennium BC. e. The amphorae examined proved that the oldest Chinese alcohol was brewed from rice, honey and fruits. This kit has enough enzymes and sugars to activate the fermentation process.
Archaeologists do not exclude that the tradition of brewing alcohol in China is older than the clay amphorae in which it was kept. Unfortunately, leather and wood containers from older times do not retain their appearance as well as ceramics.
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The Scorpio King's Wines
In the dark depths of the grave of Pharaoh Scorpio I, excavations took place not so long ago, during which archaeologists discovered traces of the oldest wine in Egypt. The alcoholic drink is five thousand years old, and it included various medicinal additives such as tree resins, spices (coriander) and herbs (mint, sage).
There were additives that served as flavorings, and some of them had medicinal properties. Archaeologists knew about Egyptian medicinal cocktails from the papyri of 1850 BC. e. Recent finds speak of an even older Egyptian tradition of brewing and drinking alcohol.
The oldest antibiotic
Archaeologists who unearthed the bones of the ancient Nubians in Sudan made an amazing discovery. Traces of tetracycline were found in the surviving bones of the inhabitants of the region. Scientists suggest that the Nubians drank the antibiotic along with beer they could brew.
They believe that the grain that was used for brewing was contaminated with antibiotic-producing bacteria from the genus Streptomycetes. The Nubians, like others in the region, kept their brewing grains in mud pots, and the dry Nubian soil is ideal for these bacteria to spread.
Almost all remains contain traces of tetracycline. Even babies around the age of two show traces of antibiotic consumption.
The ancient Nubians lived on the banks of the Nile River, south of Egypt, occupying the territory of what is now Sudan. They probably learned the basics of medicinal brewing from the Egyptians.
Beer with tetracycline may have helped the Nubians avoid bone infections, as all of their remains show the excellent health of these people.
Pre-Inca alcohol
In 2004, researchers discovered an ancient brewery in the highlands of southern Peru. The highly developed Warri culture of the middle horizon brewed alcohol known as chica.
The brewery found during excavations on Mount Cerro Baul was capable of producing about a thousand liters of alcohol per day. This settlement was once a venue for political meetings during which chika was served.
Nutritious cocktail from Teotihuacan
Archaeologists working in an ancient Mexican city have found traces of an alcoholic drink made from agave and milk on shards of fossil pottery. Researchers claim that the drink supplied the inhabitants of this huge city at that time with essential vitamins and minerals.
The city has experienced food supply disruptions on several occasions, as it was difficult to grow grain and corn in the region.
Frescoes in the ancient city often depict residents drinking Pulque, an ancient milkshake made from fermented agave juice.
Mountain Ale Zagros
In 1992, archaeologists excavating a Sumerian trading post called Gedin Tepe, located in the Zagros mountain range, found traces of beer from the middle of the fourth millennium BC. e. The presence of calcium oxalate in the traces suggests that the ancient Sumerians brewed this ale from barley. Archaeologists also discovered that this grain was stored in neighboring vessels.
The Sumerian civilization was one of the first cultures on earth to demonstrate the main stages of development: writing, code of laws and regulations, irrigation agriculture and trade.
Beer was the favorite drink of the Sumerians. According to historians, it was this people who became the founder of modern brewing.
The oldest wine in Europe
Five years ago, archaeologists discovered traces of an alcoholic drink in Greece, which turned out to be the oldest wine in Europe. In ancient ceramics, a wine sediment of 6,200 years old was discovered.
Before this discovery, the oldest wine in Europe was found in Armenia, and it was made 6100 years ago.
The same team of archaeologists who discovered sediment left over from ancient wine may have stumbled upon even more ancient evidence of winemaking. While excavating a house from the Neolithic period (4,500 BC), they found urglerodized grape seeds with remnants of the skin - a sure sign of grape pomace.
Scandinavian grog
Not so long ago, archaeologists uncovered the grave of a Scandinavian woman, whose skeleton is about three and a half thousand years old. Buried in her hands was a bronze alcohol filter.
A detailed chemical analysis of the sieve showed that the ancient Viking brew was brewed from barley and wine imported from the south, with the addition of honey, cranberries and herbs. Spectral analyzes and studies of other previously found ancient Scandinavian vessels have already shown pollen content, indicating that the ancient Scandinavian alcohol was based on honey.
However, until recently, researchers could not determine what exactly was in the drink.
The latest find (filter) convinced the researchers to conduct a chemical analysis of previously found vessels of Scandinavian origin.
They found traces of alcohol in a vessel buried in an even older warrior's grave. His vessel contained only traces of honey. This does not exclude the possibility that the Scandinavians were preparing mead.
In the 1920s, an ancient Scandinavian priestess was discovered buried with an amphora of grog at her feet. The wine components of the drink were imported from southern Europe. Almost all traces of alcohol were found in the women's graves. Researchers believe Scandinavian women were responsible for brewing.
Alcohol in the cauldron
At the site of an ancient Germanic burial, archaeologists have removed from the grave a bronze cauldron, in which 14 liters of alcoholic drink were buried two and a half thousand years ago.
The vessel was intended for the afterlife. The analysis showed that the alcohol of the Iron Age was prepared from barley with the help of yeast and with the addition of honey, meadowsweet, mint and other herbs.
No human skeleton was found in the grave next to the cauldron. Most likely, the acid contained in the soil destroyed all organic traces of the stay in the human grave. The grave goods, consisting of iron weapons of battle, indicate that the grave belonged to an important and wealthy warrior.
An attempt to reproduce this drink took place in Milwaukee, where the owner of the brewery helped scientists recreate the recipe for the Iron Age. The resulting alcoholic drink came out with an 8 percent alcohol content and tasted like dry port. Unfortunately, the results were not to the taste of specialists and the commercial release of the drink had to be canceled.
Wine cellar in Canaan
The oldest wine cellar in the Middle East is located in Israel. It contained 40 large clay amphorae used to store alcohol, mostly wine.
According to researchers, the ancient wines that were stored in the promised land had little resemblance to their modern equivalents. Many of the Canaanite wines contained spices, tree resin, and herbs and herbs. The drink tasted like retsina mixed with cough syrup.
Hope Chikanchi