When did social drinking of beer begin? There are traces of its ritual and religious use 14,000 years ago. But the earliest trace of its social consumption is more recent. That’s what they found when they studied beer from Israel 7,000 years ago.
Fermented barley
The trace was found in the area of Tel Tsaf in the Jordan Valley. Beer is known to have been a drink used in ancient times in religious ceremonies and rituals. But this find confirms its use as a social drink in the Levant region. And it was before the spread of alcohol in the Bronze Age (approx. in 3300 BC).
Researchers at the University of Haifa found traces of starch in wheat and barley grains, in ancient pottery. Under the microscope, they observed that it showed signs of fermentation. There was no doubt about it: it was used in the production of alcohol.
One of the researchers, Danny Rosenberg, noted that Tel Tsaf was known to be a prosperous place. “Its prosperity was manifested in the accumulation of agricultural products. Especially grain, in very large quantities,” he said. He added that it is easy to imagine them holding large-scale events, eating and drinking in a social context. Beer was no longer limited to the ceremonial sphere.
Developing society
The Tel Tsaf community is the only known community in the region that can be dated to the Chalcolithic Era. It was a period of transition from small, agrarian societies to larger societies. These built more complex and larger cities.
That’s why this theory fits. It’s part of the development and revolution of the time. A drink considered a luxury was becoming widespread. It was no longer exclusive to certain classes. Several barriers were being broken down, something difficult in more immobile societies. The beer of Israel 7,000 years ago was beginning to democratize its consumption.
Alcohol played an important role in the evolution of human beings since the beginning of our times. Sitting around the fire sharing food and drink is still pleasurable.
A theory by Mark Forsyth in A short history of drunkenness goes further. It says that we didn’t start growing because we needed food (there was plenty of food around), but proposes that we started growing because we wanted to get intoxicated with alcohol. He proposes that we started growing because we wanted to get intoxicated with alcohol. Cheers!
