Beer+&+Civilization

Summary:
Although starting the class with a reading related to beer may seem funny and not very serious, you'll find in this article an eloquent explanation of how the development of beer is profoundly related to the very origin of complex human societies.

Terms to Know
Neolithic, Fertile Crescent, Middle East, hunter-gatherer, Mesopotamia, Civilization, Sumeria

Questions Part I
1. Prior to the development of agriculture, what was life like for hunter-gatherers? 2. Where did the first agriculture in the world take place? 3. Why was the switch to cereal grains an improvement in the food supply of humans? 4. Why did societies who turned to cereal grains as a food source end their nomadic lifestyle? 5. What sort of things did early humans do with this grain to eat it and store it? 6. On page 18 the author writes that "sharing a drink with someone is a universal symbol of hospitality and friendship." How does he think this tradition is linked to the earliest civilizations in Sumeria and Egypt? 7. What is the historical link between alcohol and the supernatural? Do you think this connection still exists today? 8. Evaluate the way the author talks about the role of beer in transitioning from hunting and gathering to agriculture. To what extent is he trying to convince us that beer led to a full dependency on agriculture? (starts toward bottom of p. 20) 9. After farming had been spread widely through the fertile crescent after the Agricultural Revolution, what was a typical village like? (22-23)

Questions Part 2
According to the author, how did beer play a role in various aspects of the rise of urban societies--including the development of the first writing and government? How did Egypt and Sumeria compare in this period?