The story of honey is an amazing tale of the intimate relationship between humans and bees. About how long the journey from the first collected delicacy to the mass production of nectar was. And how much effort it took to make a wild insect finally be able to make friends with us.
First mention of honey
Today, scientists are sure that primitive man began to hunt wild bee hives in the Stone Age. This skill passed to him from distant ancestors - higher primates. For example, even today, our monkey relatives can be seen stealing sweet treats from these insects.
As for the indisputable facts, a unique rock drawing was found in the Aran cave (Valencia, Spain). It depicts a man with a purse, who is climbing a sheer rock or tree, surrounded by wild bees. According to a radiocarbon study, the age of this find ranges from 7-8 thousand years.
Ancient Egypt
Honey and bees were on a special account of the Egyptian pharaohs. Themimages are present on many papyri and frescoes. For example, the oldest of them, the Smith Papyrus, dates back to 1700 BC. It talks about how bee nectar can be used to heal wounds.
Besides this, the history of honey in this country is closely intertwined with the ritual of death. The fact is that the ancient priests used this raw material as one of the ingredients for embalming mummies. Thus, nectar was one of the most expensive items on the Egyptian market. Only we althy people could buy it, while the rest had to hunt wild bee hives on their own.
The first beekeepers
The history of honey tells us that the ancient Greeks were the first to study the habits of bees. They seriously thought about how to tame these insects. For example, the famous scholar Xenophon (ca. 400 BC) wrote an entire treatise on the art of honey extraction. It was a very informative work, which even today deserves the highest praise.
Another explorer of the bee kingdom is Aristotle. According to ancient sources, this philosopher had his own apiary. Naturally, it was very different from modern ones. But the very fact that the Greeks kept wild insects around 400 BC makes us bow our heads to their resourcefulness.
Roman Empire
In Roman law, honey and bees were protected by law. No one could harm the beekeeper's hives, much less take them away. The only exceptions were those cases where workersthe bees left their home and went to look for a new colony. Then, according to the law, they were considered no one's, and any beekeeper could shelter them.
It should also be noted that honey was a very valuable commodity in the Roman market. It has been used in cooking, aromatics, and even medicine. There was a time when it was used as an additional currency. For honey, you could buy things, building materials, slaves, and so on.
Asian countries
In India, honey began to be mined 4-5 thousand years ago. This is evidenced by the texts of the ancient Vedas. According to them, this delicacy was one of the most valuable gifts of the gods. Therefore, its presence on the table promised well-being and he alth for the family.
The Chinese were much more sophisticated. In this country, honey was used to make medicines. What can I say, even worker bees and drones were used in folk medicine. Healers believed that the nectar was able to cure the stomach and spleen, and the insects themselves helped improve blood circulation.
Japanese emperors also loved honey. In this country, it was used both in cooking and in medical needs. True, the local climate was not well suited for beekeeping, and therefore the Japanese have been the largest buyers of sweet extract since time immemorial. Even today, they are in third place in terms of imports, second only to the United States and Germany.
American Indian World
Native Americans are the luckiest. Their bees have evolved into a special species that, from birth,was devoid of pity. Therefore, it was possible to collect honey in these parts without fear for one's life.
As for the Indians themselves, they believed that the nectar was sent to them by the gods. They believed in his miraculous power. For example, if you present honey as a gift on the altar, then higher powers will take care of the earth and will not let drought destroy it.
African tribes
According to the research of scientists, the history of honey originates in Africa. After all, it was in these parts that the first honey bee appeared. Therefore, it is not surprising that African tribes are the best at finding this delicacy.
Their secret lies in the wonderful symbiosis of birds and humans. Honeyguide is the name of a feathered baby that lives on almost the entire territory of the Black Continent. His name speaks for itself. The bird loves beeswax, and therefore easily finds a hive in the wild.
Naturally, African peoples know about this feature. They tame honeyguides and then use them in their hunting. It is curious that even today this method of honey extraction is used by local tribes.
Severe Middle Ages
In medieval Europe, nectar was worth its weight in gold. This was due to the fact that most sweets were made on its basis. In addition, in those days, ordinary people experienced an acute shortage of high-calorie foods, and life-giving honey easily made up for the lack of energy.
Such demand led inventive people to come up with the first wicker beehives. It was a major breakthrough in beekeeping. Howevermost of the rights to honey production belonged to aristocrats and the church. Therefore, it was not possible to extract nectar in large volumes.
Slavic craftsmen
Our ancestors knew well who brings more honey: wild or domestic bees. Therefore, they were actively engaged in beekeeping (the original name for beekeeping in Russia). Instead of beehives, they used huge, hollow wooden decks - boards.
Everyone could trade this product. But only a few were engaged in this profession. And all because beekeeping required not hefty strength and endurance, but - more importantly - ingenuity.
Modern apiary
Studying interesting facts about honey and bees, people came to the conclusion that they finally understood the principles of building a hive. The greatest contribution to the development of beekeeping was made by a Russian scientist - Petr Ivanovich Prokopovich. It was he who at the beginning of the 19th century created the world's first frameless hive - the sapetka.
Later, beekeeping turned into a whole science. The beekeepers of all countries worked hard to improve the bee houses. Ultimately, craftsmen built a modern honeycomb hive. Its beauty is that it allows you to collect honey without smoking the bees out of it. In addition, thanks to the ventilation system, the colony can breathe freely, which greatly increases the survival of insects.
