Although Egyptian amphorae containing wine were labelled, these labels never state whether the wine inside was red or white.

First published in 1995. Striking a niche among an intensely studied literary civilization, this title assesses the meaning of wine and wine offering in the context of Egyptian religion by presenting observations about the implication of this study for the study of Egyptian religion in general. Ancient Egypt has yielded the outlines of its religious, political, economic, and social institutions. Yet, we know relatively little of the actual process through which an object of daily life, such as wine, was integrated into the religious system. Scholars have studied various ritual offerings in Egyptian religion and clarified the religious significance of the offering objects. This title aims to fill a gap in knowledge in a similar fashion.

Stone age wine -- The Noah hypothesis -- The archaeological and chemical hunt for the earliest wine -- Neolithic wine! -- Wine of the earliest pharaohs -- Wine of Egypt's golden age -- Wine of the world's first cities -- Wine and the great empires of the ancient Near East -- The Holy Land's bounty -- Lands of Dionysos : Greece and western Anatolia -- A beverage for King Midas and at the limits of the civilized world -- Molecular archaeology, wine, and a view to the future.

The economic practices and theory of the Roman Empire, as seen through the lens of the estate of the Flavii Apiones

First published in 1995. Striking a niche among an intensely studied literary civilization, this title assesses the meaning of wine and wine offering in the context of Egyptian religion by presenting observations about the implication of this study for the study of Egyptian religion in general. Ancient Egypt has yielded the outlines of its religious, political, economic, and social institutions. Yet, we know relatively little of the actual process through which an object of daily life, such as wine, was integrated into the religious system. Scholars have studied various ritual offerings in Egyptian religion and clarified the religious significance of the offering objects. This title aims to fill a gap in knowledge in a similar fashion.

In a lively gastronomical tour around the world and through the millennia, Uncorking the Past tells the compelling story of humanity's ingenious, intoxicating search for booze. Following a tantalizing trail of archaeological, chemical, artistic, and textual clues, Patrick E. McGovern, the leading authority on ancient alcoholic beverages, brings us up to date on what we now know about the creation and history of alcohol, and the role of alcohol in society across cultures. Along the way, he integrates studies in food and sociology to explore a provocative hypothesis about the integral role that spirits have played in human evolution. We discover, for example, that the cereal staples of the modern world were probably domesticated in agrarian societies for their potential in fermenting large quantities of alcoholic beverages. These include the delectable rice wines of China and Japan, the corn beers of the Americas, and the millet and sorghum drinks of Africa. Humans also learned how to make mead from honey and wine from exotic fruits of all kinds: even from the sweet pulp of the cacao (chocolate) fruit in the New World. The perfect drink, it turns out-whether it be mind-altering, medicinal, a religious symbol, liquid courage, or artistic inspiration-has not only been a profound force in history, but may be fundamental to the human condition itself. This coffee table book will sate the curiosity of any armchair historian interested in the long history of food and wine.