Abstract
Today there is a great proliferation of beer styles, most of which were developed in Europe in the modern era, but some evidence exists for a simpler geography of beer in ancient Europe. Barley was the common cereal used by beer-makers (those outside of southern Italy and Greece), while wheat was also used in much of western Europe as a secondary cereal while millet instead was used in the east. Although many types of plant additives were no doubt used in beer, two main ones became popular: sweet gale, first attested in the region of the Rhine estuary around the first century BC, and hops, first widely popularized in the Ile de France area in the ninth AD. Honey too was often used in beer throughout western Europe, except perhaps for the Iberian peninsula and Ireland. It must be stressed that this picture is based on highly fragmentary evidence, and it may be incorrect in many particulars. It may be hoped that future archaeological discoveries will add much to our knowledge.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
André J (ed and trans) (1958) Pline l’ancien: histoire naturelle, livre XIV (des arbres fruitiers, la vigne). Les belles lettres, Paris
André J (1961) L’alimentation et la cuisine à Rome. C. Klincksieck, Paris
André J (ed and trans) (1970) Pline l’ancien: histoire naturelle, livre XXII (importance des plantes). Les belles lettres, Paris
Arnaud-Lindet, MP (ed and trans) (1991) Orose, histoires (Contres les Païens), tome II, livres IV–VI. Les belles lettres, Paris
Bately J (ed) (1980) The old English Orosius. Oxford University Press, Oxford
Beckh H (ed) (1895) Geoponica sive Cassiani Bassi Scholastici de re rustica eclogae. Teubner, Leipzig
Behre KE (1999) The history of beer additives in Europe: A review. Veg Hist Archaeobot 8:35–48
Binchy DA (ed) (1963) Scéla Cano meic Gartnáin (Mediaeval and Modern Irish Series No. 18). Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, Dublin
Binchy DA (1982) “Brewing in eighth-century Ireland.” In: Scott BG (ed) Studies in early Ireland: Essays in honour of M. V. Duignan. Association of Young Irish Archaeologists, Belfast, pp. 3–6
Blockley RC (1983) The fragmentary classicising historians of the Later Roman Empire, Eunapius, Olympiodorus, Priscus and Malchus, II: Text, translation and historiographical notes. Francis Cairns, N.p.
Bouby L, Boissinot P, Marinval P (2011) Never mind the bottle. Archaeobotanical evidence of beer-brewing in Mediterranean France and the consumption of alcoholic beverages during the 5th Century BC. Hum Ecol 39:351–360
Breeze A (2004) What was ‘Welsh Ale’ in Anglo-Saxon England? Neophilologus 88:299–301
Buettner-Wobst T (1963) Polybii historiae, vol IV. Teubner, Stuttgart
Cary E (ed and trans) (1917) Dio’s Roman history, vol V. William Heinemann, London
Castelletti L, Maspero A, Motella De CarloS, Pini R, Ravazzi C (2001) Il contenuto del bicchiere della t. 11. In: Gambari FM (ed) La birra e il fiume: Pombia e le vie dell’Ovest Ticino tra VI e V secolo a.C. Celid, Torino, pp. 107–109
Colen L, Swinnen JFM (2011) Beer-drinking nations: The determinants of global beer consumption. In: Swinnen JFM (ed) The economics of beer. Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp. 123–140
Cool HEM (2006) Eating and drinking in Roman Britain. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
Cornell M (2010) Amber, bold and black: The history of Britain’s great beers. The History Press, Stroud
Crewe L, Hill I (2012) Finding beer in the archaeological record: A case study from Kissonerga-Skalia on Bronze Age Cyprus. Levant 44:205–237
Daremberg C, Ruelle CE (eds) (1879) Oeuvres de Rufus d’Ephèse. L’imprimerie nationale, Paris
De Vriend HJ (1984) The Old English herbarium and medicina de quadrupedibus (The Early English Text Society Vol. 286). Oxford University Press, London
Dineley M (2004) Barley, malt and ale in the Neolithic (British Archaeological Reports International Series 1213). Archaeopress, Oxford
Engs RC (1995) Do traditional Western European drinking practices have origins in antiquity? Addiction Research 2(3):227–239. http://www.indiana.edu/~engs/articles/ar1096.htm
Gambari FM (2001) La bevanda come fattore economico e come simbolo: birra e vino nella cultura di Golasecca. In: Gambari FM (ed) La birra e il fiume: Pombia e le vie dell’Ovest Ticino tra VI e V secolo a.C. Celid, Torino, pp. 141–151
Gambari FM (ed) (2005) Del vino d’orzo: la storia della birra e del gusto sulla tavola a Pombia (Quaderni di Cultura Pombiese 1). Comune di Pombia, Pombia
Garrido-Pena R, Rojo-Guerra MA, García-Martínez de Lagrán I, Tejedor-Rodríguez C (2011) Drinking and eating together: The social and symbolic context of commensality rituals in the Bell Beakers of the interior of Iberia (2500–2000 CAL BC). In: Jiménez GA, Montón-Subías S, Sánchez Romero M (eds) Guess who’s coming to dinner: feasting rituals in the Prehistoric societies of Europe and the Near East. Oxbow Books, Oxford (and Oakville), pp. 109–129
Grenfell BP, Hunt AS (1922) The Oxyrhynchus papyri, Part XV. Egypt Exploration Society, London
Griffiths I (2007) Beer and cider in Ireland: The complete guide. Liberties Press, Dublin
Grigg D (2004) Wine, spirits and beer: World patterns of consumption. Geography 89(2):99–110
Hagen A (2006) Anglo-Saxon food and drink: Production, processing, distribution and consumption. Anglo-Saxon Books, Frithgarth
Herrick C (2011) Governing health and consumption: Sensible citizens, behaviour and the city. Policy Press, Bristol (and Portland)
Hieronymus S (2010) Brewing with wheat: The ‘wit’ and ‘weizen’ of world wheat beer styles. Brewers Publications, Boulder
Hieronymus S (2012) For the love of hops: The practical guide to aroma, bitterness and the culture of hops. Brewers Publications, Boulder
Hornsey I (2009) Ancient brewing. The Brewer and Distiller International 4:36–39
Jacoby C (1967) Dionysii Halicarnasei, antiquitatum romanarum quae supersunt. Teubner, Stuttgart
Jal P (ed and trans) (1967) Florus, oeuvres, tome I. Les belles lettres, Paris
Jónsson F (ed) (1900) Heimskringla: Nóregs konunga sǫgur af Snorri Sturluson, vol 1. S. L. Møllers, Copenhagen
Koch E (2003) Mead, chiefs and feasts in Later Prehistoric Europe. In: Parker Pearson M (ed) Food, culture and identity in the Neolithic and Early Bronze Age (British Archaeological Reports International Series 1117). Archaeopress, Oxford, pp. 125–143
Koch JT (ed and trans) (1997) The gododdin of Aneirin. University of Wales Press, Cardiff
Krusch B (ed) (1905) Ionae vitae Sanctorum, Columbani, Vedastis, Iohannis (Scriptores Rerum Germanicarum Vol. 37). Hahn, Hannover (and Leipzig)
Lasserre F (ed and trans) (1966) Strabon, géographie, tome II (livre III et IV). Les belles lettres, Paris
Le Bonniec H, Le Boeuffle A (ed and trans) (1972) Pline l’ancien: histoire naturelle, livre XVIII (de l’agriculture). Les belles lettres, Paris
Liebermann F (ed) (1903) Die Gesetze der Angelsachsen, vol 1. Max Niemeyer, Halle
Marchesini M, Marvelli S (2002) Analisi botaniche del contenuto del vaso biconico (Cat. n. 8). In: Von Eleson P (ed) Eles Guerriero e sacerdote: Autorità e communità nell’età de ferro a Verucchio, La Tomba del Trono. All’Insegna de Giglio, Florence, pp. 299–307
Marié MA (ed and trans) (1984) Ammien Marcellin, histoire, tome V (livres XXVI–XXVIII). Les belles lettres, Paris
Marques-Vidal P (2009) Trends of beer-drinking in Europe. In: Preedy VR (ed) Beer in health and disease prevention. Academic Press, Burlington, Massachusetts, pp. 129–139
McGovern PE (2009) Uncorking the past: The quest for wine, beer, and other alcoholic beverages. University of California Press, Berkeley (and Los Angeles)
McGovern PE, Glusker DL, Exner LJ, Hall GR (2008) The chemical identification of resinated wine and a mixed fermented beverage in Bronze-Age pottery vessels of Greece. In: Tzedakis Y, Martlew H, Jones MK (eds) Archaeology meets science: Biomolecular investigations in Bronze Age Greece, the primary scientific evidence, 1997–2003. Oxbow Books, Oxford, pp. 169–218
Medina FX (2011) Europe North and South, beer and wine: Some reflections about beer and Mediterranean food. In: Schiefenhövel W, Macbeth H (eds) Liquid bread: Beer and brewing in cross-cultural perspective. Berghahn Books, New York (and Oxford), pp. 71–80
Migne JP (ed) (1864) Patrologiae Cursus Completus, Series Latina, vol. 99. Garnier, Paris
Murray K (ed) (2004) Baile in Scáil (Irish Texts Society Vol. 58). Royal Irish Academy, Dublin
Nelson M (2001) Beer in Greco-Roman antiquity. Unpublished PhD Thesis, University of British Columbia. https://circle.ubc.ca/handle/2429/13776
Nelson M (2005) The Barbarian’s beverage: A history of beer in Ancient Europe. Routledge, London (and New York)
Nelson M (2011) Beer: Necessity or luxury? AVISTA Forum Journal 21(1/2):73–85
Nelson M (Forthcoming) Did ancient Greeks drink beer? N.p., Phoenix
Olson SD (ed and trans) (2009) Athenaeus, the learned banqueters, Books 10.420e-11. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts (and London, England)
Owen A (ed and trans) (1841) Ancient laws and institutes of Wales, vol. 1. Eyre and Spottiswoode, London
Parks K (2012) Cleaning grain and making beer: analysis of a third- to fourth-century AD archaeobotanical assemblage from Bottisham, Cambridge. Food and Drink in Archaeology 3:127–132
Pollington S (2000) Leechcraft: Early English charms, plantlore, and healing. Anglo-Saxon Books, Ely
Roseman CH (ed and trans) (1994) Pytheas of Massalia: On the ocean. Text, translation and commentary. Ares, Chicago
Schwarz P, Li Y (2011) Malting and brewing uses of barley. In: Ullrich SE (ed) Barley: production, improvement, and uses. Wiley-Blackwell, Chichester, pp. 478–521
Sherratt A (1995) Alcohol and its alternatives: Symbol and substance in pre-industrial cultures. In: Goodman J, Lovejoy PE, Sherratt A (eds) Consuming habits: Drugs in history and anthropology. Routledge, London, (and New York) pp. 11–46
Sigaut F (1997) La diversité des bières. Questions sur l’identification, l’histoire et la géographie récentes d’un produit. In: Garcia D, Meeks D (eds) Techniques et économie antiques et médiévales: le temps de l’innovation. Editions errance, Paris, pp. 82–87
Stika HP (2011) Beer in Prehistoric Europe. In: Schiefenhövel W, Macbeth H (eds) Liquid bread: beer and brewing in cross-cultural perspective. Berghahn Books, New York and Oxford, pp. 55–62
Stokes W, Strachan J (1903) Thesaurus palaeohibernicus: A collection of old-Irish glosses, scholia, prose, and verse, vol. 2. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
Theiler W (ed) (1982) Poseidonios, die Fragmente, vol. 1. De Gruyter, Berlin (and New York)
Thommen L (2012) An environmental history of ancient Greece and Rome. Philip Hill (trans) Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
Thurneysen R (1923) Aus dem Irischen Recht I. Z Celt Philol 14:335–394
Unger RW (2004) Beer in the Middle Ages and the renaissance. University of Pennsylvania Press, Philadelphia
Unger RW (2011) Gruit and the preservation of beer in the Middle Ages. AVISTA Forum Journal 21(1/2):48–54
van der veen M (1989) Charred grain assemblages from Roman-Period corn driers in Britain. Archaeological Journal 146:302–319
van Zeist W (1991) Economic aspects. In: van Zeist W, Wasylikowa K, Behre KE (eds) Progress in old world palaeoethnobotany. Balkema, Rotterdam, pp. 109–130
Wayens B, Van den Steen I, Ronveaux ME (2002) A short historical geography of beer. In: Montanari A (ed) Food and environment: geographies of taste. Società Geografica Italiana, Rome, pp. 93–114
Webb T, Beaumont S (2012) The world atlas of beer: The essential guide to the beers of the world. Octopus Publishing Group, New York
Wellmann M (ed) (1958) Pedanii Dioscoridis Anazarbei de material medica libri quinque, vol. 1. Weidmann, Berlin
Winterbottom M, Ogilvie RM (eds) (1975) Cornelii Taciti, opera minora. Clarendon, Oxford
World Health Organization (2011) Global status report on alcohol and health. WHO Press, Geneva http://www.who.int/substance_abuse/publications/global_alcohol_report/msbgsruprofiles.pdf
Yegin S, Fernández-Lahore M (2012) Boza: A traditional cereal-based, fermented Turkish beverage. In: Hui YH (ed) Handbook of plant-based fermented food and beverage technology, second edition. CRC Press, Boca Raton, pp. 533–542
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2014 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Nelson, M. (2014). The Geography of Beer in Europe from 1000 BC to AD 1000. In: Patterson, M., Hoalst-Pullen, N. (eds) The Geography of Beer. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7787-3_2
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7787-3_2
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-007-7786-6
Online ISBN: 978-94-007-7787-3
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)