McGovern P.E. - Uncorking the Past: The Quest for Wine, Beer, and Other Alcoholic Beverages

UNCORKING THE PAST

THE QUEST FOR WINE, BEER, AND OTHER
ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES

PATRICK E. McGOVERN

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University of California Press
Berkeley and Los Angeles, California

University of California Press, Ltd.
London, England

2009 by The Regents of the University of California
First Paperback Printing 2010

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
McGovern, Patrick E.

Uncorking the past : the quest for wine, beer, and other alcoholic beverages / Patrick E. McGovern.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN: 978-0-520-26798-5 (pbk.: alk. paper)

1. Alcoholic beveragesHistory. 2. Alcoholic beveragesSocial aspects. 3. Drinking of alcoholic beveragesHistory. 4. Drinking of alcoholic beveragesSocial aspects. I. Title.
GT2884.M36 2009

Manufactured in the United States of America
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This book is printed on Cascades Enviro 100, a 100% post consumer waste, recycled, de-inked fiber. FSC recycled certified and processed chlorine free. It is acid free, Ecologo certified, and manufactured by BioGas energy.

To the innovative fermented-beverage
makers of our species

AT THE END OF MY BOOK ANCIENT WINE, I posed a question: Why have cultures around the world had a millennia-long love affair with wine? My short answer then was that alcohol has been the universal drug, and that wine provides the highest concentration of this simple organic compound (ethanol) available in nature. Humans throughout history have been astounded by alcohols effects, whether it is imbibed as a beverage or applied to the skin. The health benefits are obviousalcohol relieves pain, stops infection, and seems to cure diseases. Its psychological and social benefits are equally apparentalcohol eases the difficulties of everyday life, lubricates social exchanges, and contributes to a joy in being alive.

Perhaps most profoundly, alcohols mind-altering effects tap into mystical, unseen realms of the human brain. Wherever we look in the ancient or modern world, we see that the principal way to communicate with the gods or the ancestors involves an alcoholic beverage, whether it is the wine of the Eucharist, the beer presented to the Sumerian goddess Ninkasi, the mead of the Vikings, or the elixir of an Amazonian or African tribe.

Briefly put, alcoholic beverages are unique among all the drugs that humans and our early hominid ancestors have exploited on this planet for more than four million years. Their preeminence and universal allurewhat might be called their biological, social, and religious imperativesmake them significant in understanding the development of our species and its cultures.

To appreciate this strong coupling between alcoholic beverages and human bioculture, I propose a journey of exploration that extends farther back than the beginnings of grape wine in the Middle East. We will start out at the center of our galaxy, move on to the beginnings of life on this planet, and then follow humankinds preoccupation with and ingenious concoction of alcoholic beverages from continent to continent, as our species spread out from Africa across the Earth. We will examine the most recent archaeological discoveries, chemical analyses of residues on ancient pottery, and advances in the analysis of DNA. These new findings can be interpreted by drawing on ancient art and writings, the ethnography of more recent traditional beverage making, and experimental archaeology, in which we attempt to re-create the ancient beverages. The result is a rewriting of the prehistory and history of ancient alcoholic beverages, including wine, beer, and some strange mixtures I call extreme beverages that combine many different ingredients. Because this book picks up where Ancient Wine left off, the interested reader should consult it for more details of archaeological excavations and finds related to wine.

Some readers might already be thinking that my approach to alcoholic beverages does not take account of their darker side. The initial stimulant effect of an alcoholic beverage, as exhibited by euphoria or easy sociability, can of course turn into anger or self-hatred with excessive drinking. The depressant properties of the drug then kick in, as a person loses balance, slurs speech, and may even begin to hallucinate; the world spins out of control, and the expressions on the faces of ones drinking companions take on a strange remoteness. The drinker may finally succumb to unconsciousness, with only disjointed fragments of the episode remembered the next day amid a ferocious hangover.

The naysayers and prohibitionists tell us that alcoholic beverages have been an unmitigated blight on humanity. They have caused untold property damage, disrupted families, led to every kind of vice and violence, and destroyed individuals lives. I agree that alcohol consumed in excess can be extremely detrimental to the individual and community. But any substance (especially food), activity (such as running, dancing, music making, or sex), or powerful idea (such as religious conviction) can activate appetitive and pleasure centers in our brains (see ) and lead to compulsive, addictive behavior. Because drugs such as alcohol impinge directly on the brain, they are particularly potent and need to be used with caution.