“Most traditional forms of alcohol are made for immediate consumption”
Most traditional forms of alcohol are made for immediate consumption: They will spoil within...
Category Archives: Wine
“Unlike its role in other societies, wine eventually replaced beer and other drinks altogether among Greeks (except Spartans), Etruscans, and Romans of all social classes”
In Europe, credible evidence for alcoholic beverages, especially drinking vessels in funerary contexts, dates...
Whereas barley beer and beer goddesses reigned supreme in the lowlands of Egypt and Mesopotamia, wine was the preferred fermented beverage in the upland regions of the southern Levant. The Holy Land is where two of the world’s major religions – Judaism and Christianity – originated, and their holy writings (“scriptures”) are a testament to the centrality of wine in faith and practice.
Whereas barley beer and beer goddesses reigned supreme in the lowlands of Egypt and...
The Phrase משתה in the Book of Esther
Many English versions translate משתה generally as either “feast” (e.g., ESV, KJV, NKJV) or...
“…while ‘strong drink’ remains the most frequent English translation of שֵׁכָר, confusion about its identity persists”
Today, while ‘strong drink’ remains the most frequent English translation of שֵׁכָר, confusion about...
“The ancient Near East was divided in its alcoholic beverages into two main regions, those whose geographical properties suited the growing of grapes and those unsuited for growing grapes”
The ancient Near East was divided in its alcoholic beverages into two main regions,...
“The contrast between wine culture of Palestine and beer culture of Babylonia is well documented in the Talmud…”
One of the important distinctions between the diet of Graeco-Roman Palestine and Babylonia was...
“…beverages in antiquity most often contained many ingredients: products solely composed of barley, grapes, or dates were rare”
Compounding the difficulty in identifying שֵׁכָר is the fact that beverages in antiquity most...
“…it appears that wine was much more expensive in Babylonia than beer in the Talmudic period”
…it appears that wine was much more expensive in Babylonia than beer in the...
“Ancient alcoholic beverages don’t always fit into neat, distinct categories”
Ancient alcoholic beverages don’t always fit into neat, distinct categories. Chemical evidence of ancient...