February 2013: James Fritzsimmons, ‘Wine, Cheese, And Travel’

February 10

James Fritzsimmons Wine, Cheese And Travel

The Old World Neolithic Revolution transformed the lives of all affected, including through unintended side effects. Raising plants and animals for food led to the need to store these resources. Being permanently in the same location led people to adapt to the water of only that area, making travel painful. Permanent settlements allowed for the discovery of patterns in vegetation life cycles that had never been noticed. The solution to these challenges came through the so-called Secondary Products Revolution. The development of wine and beer, the elaboration  of food preservation methods, and the utilization of both advances to allow people to travel to distant lands. We will look both at the ways these adaptations influenced their discoverers and the later rise of Old World states, as parallel developments in the New World.