The History of the World in Six Glasses
Chapters 1 & 2
Q. How did beer lead to the development of cities in Mesopotamia and Egypt?
A. Beer started out as gruel, and as the gruel fermented it turned into beer. Now it was not the first form of alcohol, but it was an important kind of alcohol. Beer was made from cereal crops, which were very abundant, and because it was so abundant it could be made whenever it was needed. They then found an even easier way to make beer by using beer-bread. Beer bread is basically everything needed to make beer in a loaf, making it convenient to store the raw beer materials. Beer started as just a social drink but then blossomed into a “hallmark of civilization”, as seen by the Mesopotamians. Grain was the basis of the national diet, it was basically edible money. Beer was something that distinguished the Mesopotamians from savages, beer made them completely human. Beer was associated with a settled and orderly lifestyle, not hunters and gatherers in prehistoric times. Beer defined them as the first great civilizations. Beer then became a way of payment and currency. Officials and people in the work force were paid in silas of beer as part of their ration. And because they were using beer and not actual money they were more prosperous, being able to use money for development. No matter what age you were, you drank beer. It was a staple for their life. In the beginning, beer was just a social thing. It was used for special occasions, and because of that they were more social making them more civilized. “Beer has brought people together since the dawn of civilization.” Then beer became very popular it was used for more than just a social drink, more than a drink at all! They used it as currency, as trade and used it to barter with. Because they had an abundance of grain, this was convenient. Using it as currency, in turn, saved them money. They then could use that money to develop cities and expand.
Chapters 3 & 4
Q: Describe the role that wine plays in
Q. How did beer lead to the development of cities in Mesopotamia and Egypt?
A. Beer started out as gruel, and as the gruel fermented it turned into beer. Now it was not the first form of alcohol, but it was an important kind of alcohol. Beer was made from cereal crops, which were very abundant, and because it was so abundant it could be made whenever it was needed. They then found an even easier way to make beer by using beer-bread. Beer bread is basically everything needed to make beer in a loaf, making it convenient to store the raw beer materials. Beer started as just a social drink but then blossomed into a “hallmark of civilization”, as seen by the Mesopotamians. Grain was the basis of the national diet, it was basically edible money. Beer was something that distinguished the Mesopotamians from savages, beer made them completely human. Beer was associated with a settled and orderly lifestyle, not hunters and gatherers in prehistoric times. Beer defined them as the first great civilizations. Beer then became a way of payment and currency. Officials and people in the work force were paid in silas of beer as part of their ration. And because they were using beer and not actual money they were more prosperous, being able to use money for development. No matter what age you were, you drank beer. It was a staple for their life. In the beginning, beer was just a social thing. It was used for special occasions, and because of that they were more social making them more civilized. “Beer has brought people together since the dawn of civilization.” Then beer became very popular it was used for more than just a social drink, more than a drink at all! They used it as currency, as trade and used it to barter with. Because they had an abundance of grain, this was convenient. Using it as currency, in turn, saved them money. They then could use that money to develop cities and expand.
Chapters 3 & 4
Q: Describe the role that wine plays in