Submitted by Michael Kan on Fri, 01/15/2010 - 13:59
Drunkenness, hangovers, and debauchery tend to come to mind when one thinks about alcohol and its effects. But could alcohol also have been a catalyst for human civilization?
According to archaeologist Patrick McGovern this may have been the case when early man decided to start farming. Why humans turned from hunting and gathering to agriculture could be the result of our ancestors’ simple urge for alcoholic beverages.
“Alcohol provided the initial motivation,” said McGovern, a biomolecular archaeologist at the University of Pennsylvania Museum. “Then it got going the engine of society.”
If Jacqui Wood’s ancient recipes for the perfect Christmas dinner have inspired you to turn your kitchen clock back, then there's more help at hand in Prehistoric Cooking, Wood’s first book about old school cooking. In it, she traces the eating habits of our ancestors, starting with hunter-gatherers and going through to the Iron Age. Recipes are scattered throughout the book, based on archaeological findings and Wood's own experimental archaeology techniques.
Forget Oktoberfest - if you really want to combine culture with beer the place to be this month is the Penn Museum. The latest biomolecular archaeology techniques pioneered by the University of Pennsylvania have led to reproductions of ancient ales, which will be available to sample at an event on 8th October. The University's Patrick McGovern, the world’s leading authority on ancient brewing, has worked with the innovative American brewer Dogfish Head to develop the beers, which are not too dissimilar to what it the ancients are thought to have enjoyed.
Biomolecular archaeologist and expert on ancient beverages
Patrick E. McGovern is Scientific Director of the Biomolecular Archaeology Laboratory for Cuisine, Fermented Beverages, and Health at the University of Pennsylvania Museum.
He pioneered biomolecular archaeology – a field at the cutting edge of modern archaeology, and one that bridges the sciences and humanities, and is the world's leading expert on ancient brewing techniques and fermented beverages, including beer and wine.
He originally studied Chemistry and English Literature at Cornell University before going on to complete studies in neurochemistry at the University of Rochester, and archaeology at Hebrew University, Jerusalem. He completed a PhD at the University of Pennsylvania, where he is now Scientific Director.
Patrick McGovern, biomolecular archaeologist at the Penn Museum and the leading authority on ancient fermented beverages, and Sam Calagione, founder and President of Dogfish Head Brewery, team up to talk about how ancient ales and extreme beverages are discovered and brought back to life.
Tracing the history of wine parallels explorations into the history of humanity and its traditions. There is no food or beverage that is so intensely scrutinised by its fans, so it comes as no surprise to find the origins of viticulture and winemaking are subject to similar scrutiny.
A single Eurasian grape species (Vitis vineifera L. subsp. Sylvestris) is believed to be the source of almost all of the world’s wine today. Scientific testing allows archaeologists to trace this, but understanding how wine was first discovered and made, and the leap from that to the domestication of vines relies on a multitude of archaeological disciplines.
McGovern: a Leader in His Field
Author Patrick McGovern is a senior research scientist and adjunct associate professor in Anthropology at the University of Pennsylvania Museum. He is unique because his work crosses many disciplines, including the physical sciences, archaeology and the humanities. He pioneered biomolecular archaeology, a rapidly developing field which has advanced our understanding of ancient wine and food cultures.
1: DIY Prehistoric Cooking
Forget Oktoberfest - if you really want to combine culture with beer the place to be this month is the Penn Museum. The latest biomolecular archaeology techniques pioneered by the 
