Review by Choice Review
The 13 essays in this edited volume make important contributions to understanding the biological, technical, and social dimensions of alcohol production and consumption in various cultural settings ranging from Neolithic Mesopotamia to modern Bolivia and Guyana. The editors aptly employ the prism of alcohol to highlight the interface between biology and cultural practices. Drawing on evolutionary biology, several essays explore how the appetite for naturally fermented fruits among early primates may have shaped hominid evolution, resulting in the modern human predilections for alcohol. Chemical analysis of ancient ceramic vessels from China helped identify early human experimentation with alcoholic beverages, an activity identified by Patrick McGovern as the first "biotechnology." Elisa Guerra-Doce creatively exploits archaeological evidence to re-create the origins of alcohol fermentation in Neolithic Europe and address the ways ritualized drinking practices may have shaped ancient European social relations. Michael Dietler's contribution outlines a broad theoretical framework for alcohol studies research. Analysis of modern behavioral surveys allow Robin Dunbar to explore the ways ancient European drinking feasts operated to strengthen community bonds. This collection represents the latest work of anthropological scholarship on alcohol, and leading experts in the field of alcohol studies are among the contributors. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers. --Frederick H. Smith, North Carolina A & T State University
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
