In A History of the World in Six Glasses, Tom Standage aims to put into words the development of societies and civilizations by describing the drinks that originate in those places. To further emphasize the connections between the emergence of said societies and how the drinks shaped them, he takes an unusual yet straightforward approach to how beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea, and coca-cola have been the spark behind many significant turning points in history. In his book, Standage proves that drinks have had a more significant impact on history and society than generally recognized. He stresses that these substances are 'vital' to humans because they signify movement towards modernity. Drinks such as beer and tea have helped people learn to cultivate, trade, think and survive and have aided in the creation of the world as we know it.
The Fertile Crescent is a region consisting of the northeast side of Egypt, along the coasts of the mediterranean, between the two rivers Tigress and Euphrates that extends along the border of Iraq. It is called the Fertile Crescent because of its geologically crescent moon shape. The land is known for its extremely rich and fertile soil as well as being a great place for raising cattle and other things regarding agriculture. During the rise of civilization the Fertile Crescent was an optimal place to grow and cultivate the cereal grains hunter-gatherers ate and later made beer from. Before settlement, hunter-gatherer tribes did not rely on agriculture, but on mobility as a means to survive. This made it impossible for them to establish long-term settlements and communities because their lifestyle was strictly nomadic. Evidence of them can be seen in caves and even self made shelters, such as tents and huts. Hunter-gatherer tribes traveled in bands of no more than 30, hunting wild animals, fishing and living off of the land. Prior to having the knowledge that grains could be stored, hunter-gatherer tribes used the grains for the starchy properties and making soups. Storing the cereal grains allowed hunter-gatherer societies to stay in one place because the food could last much longer. Once the concept of storing and cultivating grain was widespread, people wanted to protect their food from other tribes or their neighbors which led to the emergence of villages as well as the creation of tools to help preserve and cultivate the grains.
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Beer was a key component in the transition from hunting and gathering to agricultural based societies because of the way it was discovered. According to Standage beer was created by accident, hunter-gatherer tribes aimed to keep their cereal grains stored so that they could have more food for a longer period of time. It was during this process that they discovered two properties of the grains. The first was that water-soaked grains tasted sweet, the second was that the excess greul from the grains, which was created due to the moisture and method of storage, fermented and became an intoxicating liquid. These particular grains (wheat and barley) flourished in the Fertile Crescent region and it was there that they began to be deliberately farmed for the creation of this new drink.
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Rise of Civilization in Fertile Crescent.
(2022, July 14). Edubirdie. Retrieved November 22, 2024, from https://edubirdie.com/examples/rise-of-civilization-the-fertile-crescent-and-hunter-gatherer-tribes-analytical-essay/
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