The History of the World in Six Glasses
A History of the World in Six Glasses
SPIRITS
1. From which advanced civilization/culture did Europeans get the “science” of how to make spirits?
The Europeans got the “science” of how to make spirits from Córdoba in southern Spain, the capital of Arab Andalusia. 2. In what ways was the “discovery” and use of distillation important to the rebirth of science in Europe? How was distillation perceived and which infant science did it go hand in hand with, this probably leading to further work and discovery? Also look at what sorts of texts had to be translated and what that might have led to.
The “discovery” and use of distillation was important to the rebirth of science in Europe by creating new principles of chemistry. Distillation was used to create perfumes, aromatic liquids, dyes and pigments, and the extraction of sugar. Distillation was perceived as magic or a miracle of medicine. It went hand in hand with the infant science of perfume making in the fourth millennium BCE. This led to the discovery of distilled wine. The texts that had to be translated included works from Greece, India and Persia being translated into Arabic, as well as Arabic works being translated into Latin. This might have led to globalization because the translation of texts allowed ideas from all over Europe to be shared. 3. How did spirits advance or accelerate colonialism?
Spirits were a durable and compact form of alcohol for transport on ships. They were also economic goods of great significance. When the first English settlers in 1627 failed to grow tobacco, they tried sugarcane. Unfortunately, growing and harvesting sugarcane requires a lot of slave labour. Spirits became the main currency for African slave traders. 4. In the 18th century, how did spirits help Britain have a more superior navy than France?
In the 18th century, there was a common disease called scurvy, caused by a lack of vitamin C, which killed many sailors. When the British sailors switched from
SPIRITS
1. From which advanced civilization/culture did Europeans get the “science” of how to make spirits?
The Europeans got the “science” of how to make spirits from Córdoba in southern Spain, the capital of Arab Andalusia. 2. In what ways was the “discovery” and use of distillation important to the rebirth of science in Europe? How was distillation perceived and which infant science did it go hand in hand with, this probably leading to further work and discovery? Also look at what sorts of texts had to be translated and what that might have led to.
The “discovery” and use of distillation was important to the rebirth of science in Europe by creating new principles of chemistry. Distillation was used to create perfumes, aromatic liquids, dyes and pigments, and the extraction of sugar. Distillation was perceived as magic or a miracle of medicine. It went hand in hand with the infant science of perfume making in the fourth millennium BCE. This led to the discovery of distilled wine. The texts that had to be translated included works from Greece, India and Persia being translated into Arabic, as well as Arabic works being translated into Latin. This might have led to globalization because the translation of texts allowed ideas from all over Europe to be shared. 3. How did spirits advance or accelerate colonialism?
Spirits were a durable and compact form of alcohol for transport on ships. They were also economic goods of great significance. When the first English settlers in 1627 failed to grow tobacco, they tried sugarcane. Unfortunately, growing and harvesting sugarcane requires a lot of slave labour. Spirits became the main currency for African slave traders. 4. In the 18th century, how did spirits help Britain have a more superior navy than France?
In the 18th century, there was a common disease called scurvy, caused by a lack of vitamin C, which killed many sailors. When the British sailors switched from