Prehistoric people stopped sharing large bowls of beer and started using individual cups to show off how much better they were than their neighbors.
Evidence from the Late Neolithic Longshan culture shows a specific shift from communal to individualized drinking. Alcohol was originally used as a bond to bring a group together and create social harmony. Over time, it was transformed into a status symbol that signaled power and hierarchy within the village. We usually think of alcohol as a social lubricant that helps people connect. This discovery shows that booze was one of the first tools humans used to build social classes and separate the elites from everyone else.
Alcoholic Drinking Practices During the Late Neolithic Longshan Culture in the Central Plains, North China
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Abstract Neolithic China witnessed a major sociopolitical transition during the third millennium BC in the Yellow River valley. One notable development was the exchange and dispersal of objects associated with ritual activities and ideology at an interregional level. This is exemplified by diverse pottery types linked to fermented beverages discovered at many walled regional centers of the late Longshan culture. To delve into the drinking practices intertwined with ritualistic activities, we und