Uncorked: The Origins of Alcohol
Did you think alcohol was too volatile a substance for an archaeological dig? Not so! Under the expert guidance of Dr. Steven Batiuk and Lucas Livingston, archaeologists, hooch historians, and cocktail enthusiasts, we’ll explore such topics as the origins of alcohol; wine in Mesopotamia and on the Silk Roads; and brewing in Egypt, the Andes, and medieval Europe. Residue in pottery, remains of wine presses, and cakes of fermented grain have all provided archaeological evidence for the early and widespread use of alcohol—and perhaps for the thesis that humans drank beer before they ate bread.
Dr. Stephen Batiuk is Senior Research Associate and Lecturer with the Department of Near & Middle Eastern Civilizations, University of Toronto, as well as Director of Excavations for the Tayinat Archaeological Project (Turkey) and the Project Manager for the Computational Research on the Ancient Near East (CRANE) Project. He holds his degrees from the University of Toronto (Ph.D.) and the University of Ottawa, and his areas of specialization include Near Eastern archaeology (particularly the Bronze and Irons Ages of Turkey, Syria and the Caucasus), and the origins of viticulture and viniculture.
Lucas Livingston is a nationally recognized leader in the intersections of the arts, museums, cultural accessibility, health, wellness, lifelong learning, and creative aging. In addition Livingston is a specialist in ancient and Asian art, an art museum educator, and creator and host of the Ancient Art Podcast at www.ancientartpodcast.org. He is also a brewer inspired by ancient traditions and Historian of Beer and Curator of Experimental Libations at Morgue Brewing, www.morguebrewing.com, as well as a Chicago Brewseum Board member. He received his Master’s degree in Studies of the Ancient Mediterranean World at the University of Chicago and was formerly Assistant Director of Accessibility and Lifelong Learning at the Art Institute of Chicago.
We deeply appreciate the sponsorship of the The Grateful Dane Distilling Company for the “Uncorked” series. The Grateful Dane is the only rum distillery in the state of Texas. Visit their website at: https://gratefuldanedistilling.com/ .
Schedule a visit to their tasting room on almost any Saturday. We can testify that you will be glad you visited!