Beer+in+Mesopotamia+&+Egypt

Red Arrows: Spread of beer Dotted Black Line: The Fertile Crescent Solid Black Lines: Outlines Mesopotamia --- __Timeline__ --- __PERSIA chart__ -  QUOTES --- __ Images __ Social Aspect of Drinking Beer:
 * 1 0,000 BCE: Following the end of the ice age, people began to harvest wild grains. This would have led to the discovery of beer soon thereafter, considering that grains were a main source of food. After experimenting with different foods and ways to eat and use the grain, beer was discovered. However, the year is not exact.
 * 9000 BCE: People who lived in the Fertile Crescent began to farm. This was out of the desire to have a steady source of grain to make food and beer. This paved the way for the beginning of civilization, seeing as people began to stay in one place and smaLL societies began to form.
 * 4000 BCE: Mesopotamia pictograph shows two people drinking beer from a pottery jar with straws. This indicates that beer was certainly evident and becoming widespread in the Eastern world.
 * 3400 BCE: Writing is created in Sumer. The stories written by the Sumerians illustrated the importance of beer in their society as part of being human.
 * 2500 BCE: Beer is seen being used as payment for workers that were constructing the pyramids. This shows that beer has grown from simply a safe drink to a part of not only culture, but also the economy.
 * 2100 BCE: A Sumerian cuneiform tablet shows a recipe for beer to be used in medicine. This is the oldest known record of alcohol being used for medicinal purposes. Beer was used in solutions with certain herbs and was used as a sedative.
 * 1400-1500: During this period, hops are discovered as a preservative for beer. It was imported from the Netherlands into England sometime during this century.
 * 1607: Beer spreads to the New World. It is brought over on ships from England to the settlement at Jamestown.
 * 1770: By this time, the hydrometer and thermometer had been invented. These two instruments helped to industrialize the production of beer.
 * 1933: In America, the prohibition on beer was repealed. This allows for Americans, that are of age of course, to consume, buy, and sell beer. This has become a great part of the American culture, especially of great social importance.
 * Politics || Economics || Religion || Society || Intellect || Arts ||
 * Government officials utilized beer as a way to keep order and rank. Sign of wealth and political power to have beer. || Beer was used as the currency. Workers were paid in “sila” of beer. Having lots of beers equated wealth. || Beer was seen as a “god-given drink.” It was used in religious ceremonies. It was a mythological drink that’s name appears in many ancient religious texts. || Beer has impacted society socially. Beer was of importance in social gatherings. And offered as a symbol of friendship. Beer was also a symbol of a less nomadic society because it is a product of agricultural development. || Beer was of such importance in social gatherings. These types of gatherings promote intellectual conversation and ideas. Also, because people had to keep track of the beer or bread or whatever form of currency they had, people began to write. || Artists depicted the Neolithic Priests enjoying their shared beer from large pots. Artists also depicted joyous banquets where the people drank beer. ||
 * “once beer had been discovered, and its consumption had become socially and ritually important, there was a greater desire to ensure the availability of grain by deliberate farming, rather than relying on wild grains” (21)
 * “grain was...a sort of edible money, and it was consumed in both solid and liquid forms, as bread and beer” (26)
 * “beer had an important function as a social drink...sharing a drink with someone is a universal symbol of hospitality and friendship. It signals that the person offering the drink can be trusted, by demonstrating that it is not poisoned or otherwise unsuitable for consumption.” (18)
 * “beer...provided a safe form of liquid nourishment” (22)
 * “Mesopotamians and Egyptians alike saw beer as an ancient, god-given drink that underpinned their existence, formed part of their cultural and religious identity, and had great social importance.” (29)

Beer has been an essential part of any gathering whether business or simply catching up since mesopotamian times.



Drinking beer ingrained in Wisconsin culture?

Cultural Aspect:

Beer in the Economy: Beer is in constant demand. Economically alcoholic drinks such as beer have been economically thriving since the mesopotamian era. --- __WORKS CITED__ "A History of Beer." A History of Beer. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Aug. 2013. . Beermasons.com. N.p., n.d. Web. . "History of Beer." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 18 Aug. 2013. Web. 20 Aug. 2013. .

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Moroway, C. "A Brief History of Beer." Timetoast. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Aug. 2013. . Standage, Tom. "A Stone -Age Brew." A History of the World in 6 Glasses. New York: Walker &, 2005. N. pag. Print.

Standage, Tom. "Civilized Beer." A History of the World in 6 Glasses. New York: Walker &, 2005. N. pag. Print.

Testosteronepit.com. N.p., n.d. Web. .

Wildsidevancouver.com. N.p., n.d. Web. .