c. 7000 BCEGeneral sourceWell documented

The Dawn of Alcohol

On the timeline · around c. 7000 BCE ·

What happened

At the Neolithic village of Jiahu in China, chemical traces in pottery reveal a fermented drink of rice, honey and fruit brewed around 7000 BCE — the earliest known alcoholic beverage, predating grape wine from the Middle East by centuries.

Why it matters

Alcohol is humanity's oldest and most universal intoxicant. The urge to ferment appears almost as old as settled human society itself.

Sources

Penn Museum (University of Pennsylvania). The Earliest Alcoholic Beverage in the World · General source

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History of China → — The world's oldest known fermented drink

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