The heady history of humans and alcohol

Alcohol has been a companion to humankind since the year dot: as an enjoyable beverage and addictive substance, but also as a hygienic alternative to water and even as a remedy for intestinal worms. A short cultural history of an everyday toxic substance. It is said that the Germanic peoples would discuss every matter twice – once when drunk and once when sober. Only if a proposal was accepted in both states would it pass. If we are to believe this account by the Roman historian Tacitus dating back to around 100 BCE, alcoholic beverages were an integral part of Germanic life. Indeed, beer and wine have been dietary staples of many cultures in the Western world for centuries. SWI swissinfo.ch regularly publishes articles from the Swiss National Museum’s blog dedicated to historical topics. The articles are always written in German and usually also in French and English. But their history probably goes back much further. Research suggests that even our apelike ancestors had contact ...