We all already know that a cold brew can work wonders after a hard days work, but we had no idea that our beloved beer actually had a positive impact on the development of ancient civilization. You heard that right, a recent article from Tech Insider brought to our attention a new scientific theory that our “nomadic hunter-gatherer” ancestors were incentivized to settle down and build civilizations once they found areas in which they could grow grain. Now obviously grain is the main ingredient in beer, but it is also used to produce one of our favorite foods, bread! At first we thought our ancestors would have been much more interested in baking up a storm, but according to scholars there’s circumstantial evidence that proves for our ancestors, a cold brew sparked more interest than a sandwich.
It is unclear when our ancestors realized that the fermentation process results in delicious booze, but we do know that their beer would have at least given off a “feel good” buzz that propelled them to make more of it. According to Jeffery P Khan, a clinical associate professor of psychiatry at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, beer was exactly what our 10,000 year old ancestors needed to reduce their herding instincts and maintain social structure. Beer brought our ancestors together, sparked creativity, and gave them the opportunity to relax , much like it still does for our civilization today. Now we don’t really believe the same can be said for a loaf of bread, even though to this day it’s still pretty darn delicious.
You can learn more about the how ancient keg parties greatly benefited our civilization here!
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