A History of the World in 6 Glasses- Beer

Some characteristics: -They traveled in small nomadic bands (around 30) -Hunted game, caught fish and picked edible plants -Moved from one temporary camp to another to make use of the seasonal food supplies

-Once beer had been discovered and its consumption became socially important, farming was more important because that was how people got the grains to make beer -Beer helped make up for the decline in food quality as farming rose and gave beer-drinkers an advantage over non beer-drinkers

-in The Epic of Gilgamesh, when Enkidu drinks beer for the first time he "becomes human" and can go on to the city of Uruk -The Mesopotamians regarded the consumption of bread and beer as something that distinguished them from barbarians -Lowest ranking members of Sumerian temple workforce were issued one sila of beer a day. Junior officials were given two sila, higher officials and ladies of court were given three sila, and the highest officials five sila -Workers that built the Egyptian Pyramids were paid in beer -Beer was used medicinally and was part of many herbal remedies

-Priests regulated the offerings to the gods -City-states were ruled by elite priesthood that maintained the agricultural economy and lived off the surplus it produced -Carvings depict priests drinking beer out of large pots through long straws

-The enthusiasm for beer came from the rise of complex societies, the need to keep written records, and the surplus of grain -farming began in the Fertile Crescent because the FC had the best growing conditions -Beer still stands as a friendly, unpretentious drink to be shared -Beer is still the drink of working man