from the notebooks of craig swanson
The caves at Lascaux (say “Last Call” in a drunken slur) in southwest France contain Paleolithic paintings. Produced between 15,000 and 13,000 B.C., these images are considered some of the most important prehistoric art ever discovered.
The depictions of horses, reindeer, bison, and mammoth are jaw-droppingly accurate. Speculation holds that the drawings were created for magical ceremonies designed to boost hunting success. Curiously, the representation of humans is almost completely absent, and the few that do appear are noticeably less accurate than the animal images. Perhaps this was done so that the magic would not be applied to the humans themselves.
The history of alcoholic beverages also dates back to prehistory. It was probably discovered accidently when some honey or fruit (like grapes or berries) was exposed to a warm environment for an extended period of time. Airborne yeasts acting on these substances would have changed their sugars into ethyl alcohol or ethanol (C2H5OH), an intoxicating agent. Some early humans must have liked its effect (as do some late humans), and figured out how to recreate it.
Thanks to the preservation of the cave drawings, we know the symbol in this Lascaux “language” for a variety of animals and hunting events. Unfortunately, we don’t know Lascaux for alcohol.
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