From Rotten Fruit to Whisky: The Untold History of Alcohol

Humans didn't invent alcohol in a lab. Nature got there first. Millions of years ago, wild yeast settled on fallen fruit and turned its sugar into alcohol, and our ancestors were drawn to the smell. From that accident came one of the most powerful forces in human history. In this video, we trace the true story of alcohol through the ages: The "drunken monkey" hypothesis: why our ancestors loved fermented fruit Jiahu, China: the 9,000-year-old clay pots that hold the oldest known alcoholic drink Sumerian beer, drunk through straws, and the goddess Ninkasi The Hymn to Ninkasi, the world's oldest written beer recipe Egypt: beer rations for pyramid workers and labelled wine jars in Tutankhamun's tomb Ancient India: Soma, Sura, and Chanakya's Arthashastra with its Suradhyaksha, the state's liquor officer Why natural fermentation stops at about 15%, and how distillation broke that limit Jabir ibn Hayyan, Al-Kindi and the alembic still, and where the word "alcohol" comes from Aqua vitae, whisky, vodka, rum and how spirits shaped sea trade This is a history video, not a promotion of drinking. If you enjoyed it, subscribe to the channel and tell me in the comments which story I should uncover next. Hashtags and tags #HistoryOfAlcohol #AncientHistory #UntoldHistory #HistoryFacts #Sumerians #AncientEgypt #Arthashastra #Chanakya #Distillation #HiddenGenius Search tags: history of alcohol, who invented alcohol, oldest alcohol in the world, Jiahu 9000 years, history of beer, Ninkasi hymn, ancient Egypt beer pyramid workers, Soma and Sura, Arthashastra Suradhyaksha, history of distillation, Jabir ibn Hayyan alembic, origin of word alcohol, history of whisky, history of rum