Preview

The History of the World in Six Glasses

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
2847 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The History of the World in Six Glasses
A History of the World in Six Glasses
SPIRITS
1. From which advanced civilization/culture did Europeans get the “science” of how to make spirits?
The Europeans got the “science” of how to make spirits from Córdoba in southern Spain, the capital of Arab Andalusia. 2. In what ways was the “discovery” and use of distillation important to the rebirth of science in Europe? How was distillation perceived and which infant science did it go hand in hand with, this probably leading to further work and discovery? Also look at what sorts of texts had to be translated and what that might have led to.
The “discovery” and use of distillation was important to the rebirth of science in Europe by creating new principles of chemistry. Distillation was used to create perfumes, aromatic liquids, dyes and pigments, and the extraction of sugar. Distillation was perceived as magic or a miracle of medicine. It went hand in hand with the infant science of perfume making in the fourth millennium BCE. This led to the discovery of distilled wine. The texts that had to be translated included works from Greece, India and Persia being translated into Arabic, as well as Arabic works being translated into Latin. This might have led to globalization because the translation of texts allowed ideas from all over Europe to be shared. 3. How did spirits advance or accelerate colonialism?
Spirits were a durable and compact form of alcohol for transport on ships. They were also economic goods of great significance. When the first English settlers in 1627 failed to grow tobacco, they tried sugarcane. Unfortunately, growing and harvesting sugarcane requires a lot of slave labour. Spirits became the main currency for African slave traders. 4. In the 18th century, how did spirits help Britain have a more superior navy than France?
In the 18th century, there was a common disease called scurvy, caused by a lack of vitamin C, which killed many sailors. When the British sailors switched from

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    How did beer lead to the development of cities in Mesopotamia and Egypt? Grains grew widespread in the Fertile Crescent (The crescent shaped area which had an ideal climate and soil for growing plants and raising livestock, it stretches from Egypt, up the Mediterranean coast to Turkey, and then down again to the border between Iraq and Iran.) causing the unintentional discovery of beer. The Fertile Crescent’s extremely rich soil was suitable for the growth of cereal grains after the last ice age, which occurred around 10,000 BCE. Hunter-gatherers were drawn to the cereal grains and, the ability to keep the grains for long periods of time stimulated them to stay. If they hunter-gatherers could thrive of off the wild grain if they were willing to stay near it and harvest at its peak. After the hunter-gatherers had spent so much time collecting the grain they would have been reluctant to leave the grain that they had collected nor could they travel with it. For this reason hunter-gatherers began to settle on the land. These settlers soon found that the grain could be stockpiled for long periods of time without spoiling. The technology of these settlers was still in development so storage spaces were not usually watertight, and when the water got into the stockpile of the collected grains they started to sprout and acquired a sweet taste. Thus becoming malted grains. When gruel, which is made of boiled malted grains, was left to sit for a couple of days it undertakes an interesting transformation. It becomes a pleasantly intoxicating and slightly bubbly liquid, as the yeasts from the gruel turn it to alcohol. The cereal grains used to make beer was often used as an eatable currency, because everyone needed it. People traded and sold it, causing the development and expansion of cities.…

    • 2569 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    To begin with, every time the British came across an American ship, they would attack it, and then take any sailors who had once before served for the British and make them fight for them again. This continuously happened as the American’s couldn’t do anything against it. This…

    • 363 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    1. The “Land between 2 rivers” is the Tigris and Euphrates rivers located in Mesopotamia (in the Fertile Crescent). “The World’s first cities arose in Mesopotamia, ‘the land between the streams,’ the name given to the area between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers… (24, Standage)”, which meant that around this area most of the people were hardworking. The problem about these two rivers though is that they had unexpected flooding and there was little rain. This is why at the time, goods, instead of being offerings to gods were, “compulsory taxes that were consumed by the temple bureaucracy or traded for other goods and services (40, Standage).” This only arose though because of the unpredictable weather and nature of the Mesopotamian environment.…

    • 1021 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    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.…

    • 1473 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    From 1450 to 1750, Europe underwent significant cultural changes in religion and science. However, the air of skepticism and the utilization of literature remained constant throughout the Renaissance and Scientific Revolution.…

    • 665 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Beer might have/had influenced the transition from hunting and gathering to agricultural-based societies. One way beer could have done this was that after the discovery of beer, the demand for beer began to increase. With increase demand for beer, farming would increase taking away time to hunt and gather for food. With less hunting and gathering, farmers eventually settled down in small areas around the Fertile Crescent to create beer.…

    • 2694 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Before 10,000 BCE the primary source of drink was water. When beer was discovered in Mesopotamia it was considered a step up from water. Water was…

    • 451 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    150,00 years ago, water had been the basic drink that mankind drank. Nomads would rely on water to survive, however, water had many pesticides and impurities that caused people to become sick and die. Beer was the first staple beverage in civilizations. It became important to all aspects of ancient life, social, religious, and economical. As civilizations began to brew beer it led them into a more modern world. Beer transitioned the nomadic life of early people to a stationary life. Beer was not invented though, it was simply a mistake that was waiting to he discovered. As nomads began to settle and harvest grain, it became a major staple in their diet. Storing was difficult to store in a way where it would stay safe for consumption. A popular porridge dish called gruel was a very common meal made with cereal grains. When left out, a chemical transformation would take place converting it into beer. Once discovered, beer was brewed constantly, improving the taste. Beer played a large part in the development of civilizations; it brought people together to share drinks and showed hospitality and familiarity. Beer was also very important in religion. This is because the process that converted gruel into beer was believed to be a gift from the gods. The finest and sweetest brews would be offered to gods as thanks. In Egypt, many people believed that Osiris, the god of the afterlife and agriculture, discovered beer. Therefore, beer was used as an offering in the afterlife and was buried with people when they died. As time went on, beer was not only a drink, but also a sign of being civilized and human. When beer was drunk, it showed that a person was sophisticated. As time progressed and people and civilizations became more advanced, beer was used as currency. Men, women, and children were granted amounts of beer as pay. Beer was also believed to cure…

    • 3533 Words
    • 15 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Just Whatever

    • 1983 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Explain the development of the scientific method in the seventeenth century and the impact of scientific thinking on traditional sources of authority.…

    • 1983 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The period between 1763 to 1914 was a time of major change for the Royal Navy. In their attempt to gain full control over the waters, they adopted multiple naval tactics, incorporated new technology in terms of ship types and weapons on boards; all effecting the role of the Navy worldwide. The British Royal Navy had no match or rival; especially evident after they decisively destroyed their European rivals: the French, Dutch and the Spanish, by 1763. However, full dominancy wasn’t reached until 1805, during the destruction of the Franco-Spanish fleet at Trafalgar. Once the Royal Navy achieved dominance, the navy began playing major roles in trade, diplomacy and exploration, therefore, spreading British influence from…

    • 1078 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In A History Of The World In Six Glasses, the author Tom Standage addresses how six drinks have changed our history. Just as our history can be split into different ages through the materials we’ve used, we can also separate it into the six glasses that influenced our lives. Beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea, and cola are the most culturally impacted drinks. Even though all six beverages have equally benefited us, I think some are more important than others. In my opinion, coffee altered the way beverages were made. Coffee helped mankind by waking them up rather than intoxicating like beer or wine.…

    • 626 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Scientific Revolution DBQ

    • 812 Words
    • 4 Pages

    During the sixteenth and seventeenth century, the Scientific Revolution brought radical changes in people’s mind. People’s focus on idealism began to shift to rationalism and the material world; traditions were challenged by new scientific discoveries. Some scientists were supported by the state for showing the power of the nation, while the others were suppressed for conflicting with the ruling class. Scientific discoveries that praised the wisdom of God were welcomed by the Church, while those who contradicted with the Scripture were restricted. Society also encouraged people to use scientific method and to investigate the truth, but constrained women from doing the studies. Overall, political, religious and social factors both contributed…

    • 812 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Scientific Revolution Dbq

    • 850 Words
    • 4 Pages

    *The Scientific Revolution of the 16th and 17th centuries brings to mind great scientists like Galileo who dedicated themselves to math and science in order to help human learning. Advances were made in chemistry, astronomy, math, and even more branches of science by these men. However, they were not the ones whose thoughts were able to change that of the people in charge, i.e., the Pope and the powerful rulers of that time. Without those people, the ideas of the scientists would never have been accepted by the general public. The thoughts of those people such as religious figures, philosophers, and even men working in the state were those that most helped to push the scientific revolution forward, because they broke boundaries and changed the way even society itself reacted to new ideas and developments.…

    • 850 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Many thought it was a result of the stupidity of the French captain who people thought was acting under the authority of King Louis XVIII even though monarchs aren’t in charge of appointing captains for navel ships. The Ministry of the Navy are the people who regularly appoint captains for navel ships.…

    • 740 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Scurvy Research Paper

    • 421 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Scurvy was at one time common among sailors, pirates and others who were on ships that were out to sea longer than perishable fruits and vegetables could be stored and by soldiers who were similarly separated from these foods for extended periods.…

    • 421 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays