Essay about A History of the World in 6 Glasses

Submitted By justin_
Words: 1344
Pages: 6
Open Document
In "
A History of the World in 6 Glasses
,
" Tom Standage starts out the introduction with a quote from
Karl Popper, a philosopher of science during the twentieth century. Popper mentions, “there is no history of mankind, there are only many histories of all kinds of aspects of human life” (pg 1). As many know, there are indeed many aspects to human life and mankind throughout the years of development. The variety of different aspects were the result of changes that occurred to the human race. One such aspect of the early humans was thirst itself. Different beverages soon began to replace water, a necessary yet original and dull drink. Before we knew it, these drinks soon began to shape human culture and society as well.
Standage starts out with probably the first primary beverage, beer. “Beer was not invented but discovered” (pg 11). The discovery of beer was inevitable; early civilizations sprung from grain-cultivating villages in the Fertile Crescent. At first beer was a social beverage, but the drink took more importance in the community. Beer then became a form of edible currency. Men, women, and even children were paid in sila of beer. In Ancient Egypt, the builders of the famous pyramids were paid in beer as well. In addition, taxes were in bread and beer. To keep record of each household's payments, officials kept track on cuneiform tablets, the first form of writing. "It was consumed by everyone, rich and poor, men and women, adults and children, from the top of the social pyramid to the bottom. It was truly the defining drink of these first great civilizations" (pg 30). In other words, beer lead to writing as well as the first forms of government.
The next drink, wine, is just as old as beer. In Mesopotamian culture, wine was seen as an exotic drink for the elite. The Greek soon developed formal drinking parties, or symposion. The Greek saw wine as a primary aspect of their culture, as the type of wine one drank "indicated how cultured you were"
(pg 56). The Greek culture was absorbed by the successors of Mediterranean trade, the powerful and well-known Romans. The Romans, on top of acquiring Greek gods and goddesses, also “copied” the
Greek symposion , later called the convivium .
Symposion and convivium both were centers for overall social interaction.
In the Mediterranean, the climate was perfect for viticulture. For some regions, wine cultivation replaced most wheat production, sometimes resulting in local food shortages. Merchant ships were often laden with decorated amphorae , or Greek wine jars. “By the fifth century BCE, Greek wine was being exported as far afield as southern France to the west, Egypt to the south, the Crimean Peninsula to the east, and the Danube region to the north” (pg 67). Wherever the amphorae went, Greek culture followed. Wine clearly dominated Mediterranean trade.
The Greek and the Romans both added water to their wine to dilute the strength. Near the first millennium, Arabs invented distillation, the process which includes boiling alcoholic drinks to raise the alcohol percentage. In other words, this rids the fluid of the water, leaving a “compact” form of alcohol. Distillation therefore made drinks stronger, intoxicating their drinkers faster. Spirits aided the human civilization especially during the Age of Discovery. Europeans often used the Triangular Trade
Route, connecting Africa, Europe, and the New World. Altered versions of spirits contained Vitamin C, eradicating the risk of scurvy for sailors.

In the New World, sugar cane businesses were prospering, leading to mass production of rum.
Merchants often used rum in deals with foreigners, promoting global interaction. The Colonies of
America, too, loved rum. Citizens of New England began to distill alcohol themselves, which was far cheaper than importing it. Despite the English Molasses Act’s efforts to stop them, the colonists still persisted on smuggling molasses and making rum. “Henceforth, the
Show More

Related Documents: Essay about A History of the World in 6 Glasses

A History of the World in 6 Glasses Essay

A History of the World in 6 Glasses by Tom Standage is a non-fiction historical novel, whose main purpose is to show the surprisingly pervasive influence of certain drinks on the course of history. Then it takes the reader on a journey through time to show the history of mankind through the lens of beverages. The thesis of the novel is that through history certain specialty beverages have affected more than just the diet of people and changed political aspects, economic standings, religious ceremonies…

Words 924 - Pages 4

A History Of The World In 6 Glasses Analysis

A History of the World in 6 Glasses tells the tale of society from the Stone Age till now. Using some of the world’s most iconic beverages such as beer, tea, coffee, cola and wine Glasses starts off by discussing beer and how it has impacted and shaped the development of mankind. Beer was first appeared in the Fertile Crescent. Some of the first formats forests discovered how to create beer by letting wheat grains soak in water for long stunts of time. Which is known as fermentation. As time went…

Words 189 - Pages 1

A History Of The World In 6 Glasses Summary

A History of the World in 6 Glasses Book Report Tom Standage uses drinks to show the different civilizations and cultures of the world. He uses them and their origins to explain the history of civilizations from around the world. Coffee, Tea, and Coca-Cola are the three un-alcoholic drinks that he talks about. Coffee in the Age of Reason The Greeks made mistakes, but European thinkers did not start questioning old ideas of Greek philosophy until the early 17th century (pg. 133). Francis Bacon…

Words 873 - Pages 4

Essay about History of the World in 6 Glasses Book Review

AP World History July 30, 2014 Guns, Germs, and Steel Book Review Jared Diamond’s widely acclaimed book, Guns, Germs, and Steel, “attempts to provide a short history of everybody for the last 13,000 years” (Diamond, 9). Delving deeper into the preface and prologue, we learn that Diamond endeavors not only to educate us on the history of the world, but explore the age-old question: why did history itself turn out the way it did? Why did Eurasia develop so much faster than places such as the…

Words 1468 - Pages 6

ap essay

The thesis of the American novel A History of the World in 6 Glasses is that certain popular beverages have affected far more than the health of people throughout history, but also their religious ceremonies, economic and political views, and social life. The author of the novel Tom Standage supports the subject that is written about and shows no analysis of disagreement with the thesis. Tom Standage is an author of 3 other novels, which are also historic analyses, which support his data and research…

Words 691 - Pages 3

The History Of Drinks On Human History

About A History of the World in 6 Glasses From beer to Coca-­‐Cola, the six drinks that have helped shape human history. Throughout human history, certain drinks have done much more than just quench thirst. As Tom Standage relates with authority and charm, six of them have…

Words 1552 - Pages 7

Coffee and Ap World History Essay

AP WORLD HISTORY SUMMER ASSIGNMENT 2014 About the APWH course: You have chosen to join the fastest growing AP course in America. AP World History is a rigorous yet enriching course of study. This college-level class entails the study of 10,000 years of history in 35 weeks. It will demand more attention and time than any other class you have ever previously encountered because you have the opportunity to earn college credit by passing the College Board’s APWH exam with a score of 3, 4, or 5.…

Words 1404 - Pages 6

Oculus Rift Case Study

Table of Content Bill Content Page 1 Table of content 1 2 Introduction/History -Developer version, Development Kit -Crystal Cove -Development Kit 2 -Crescent Bay -Consumer version 2 3 4 5 6 7 3 Advantage of Oculus Rift -Being in the Virtual Reality(VR) -Uses of organic light-emitting diode(OLED) -Head tracking -Stereoscopic 3D -Entertainments Disadvantage of Oculus Rift -Low resolution -Not glasses friendly yet -Heavy weight design -Motion sickness -OLED Comparison of the earlier version product…

Words 1937 - Pages 8

Essay on China: Asia and Ap World History

AP World History Summer Assignment 2012-2013 Welcome to AP World History! I am looking forward to having you in class in the fall and know you are at least looking forward to being sophomores! This course requires an excellent work ethic and dedication in order to achieve success. Success in this class will not only mean the opportunity to take and do well on the AP exam in May, but also gaining necessary study skills needed for future high school and college classes. In light of the fact we must…

Words 1378 - Pages 6

Middle Ages Essay example

Evaluate: Important People’s contribution to Middle Ages.........................................................5 Level Understand: Focus Questions.......................................................................................................6 Level Remember: Visual Timeline..........................................................................................................7 Level Design: Peasant’s Perspective.........................................................................…

Words 2095 - Pages 9