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Alcohol Use In The Ancient World
Hi all and welcome to Spirit’s blog. Today, I attended a bridal shower, of course the drink of the morning was “Mimosas”.
As I drank mine, I was part of a conversation about alcohol, are we the only civilizations to use it? Did the ancients use it, and if so how? Well, here I am again armed with questions, on the edge of a rabbit hole.
Etymology of Word Alcohol
So the word alcohol, some historians believe that it cam from the Ancient Arabic word “al-kuhl” . This word means to envelope or consume, then after some time of it’s use the word was shortened to “kuhl”.
That is when the word took on a more sinister meaning. As researchers believe, this meant malicious, devouring spirit.
Alcohol Use In Ancient Egypt
The main crops harvested in Ancient Egypt were wheat and barley. Both of these grains were baked into loaves and eaten on a regular basis.
Ancient Egyptians found a method of fermentation in roughly 3400 B.C. That allowed them to make wheat and barley into beer. They used this beer for medicine and as offerings to the gods. People of this time also made wine from fresh fruits being fermented. The wine was used as part of the daily diet and for worship as well.
