Beekeeping and Honey Throughout History - Honeybee: Lessons from an Accidental Beekeeper - page 57

CHAPTER 7
Beekeeping and Honey Throughout History
Enteringthebeekeepingworldfueledmyfascinationwithbees,hives,andhoney.During
my explorations—in both travel and reading—I've discovered a wealth of information
about the history of beekeeping and the roles bees and honey have played in cultures
aroundtheworld.Herearejustsomeofthefascinatingfactsmyloveofbeeshasbrought
to me so far.
Evidence points to the existence of bees 100 million years ago. A piece of petrified
amber, found in a mine of northern Myanmar (formerly Burma), shows an almost per-
fectly preserved honeybee, practically unchanged from how bees look today. This speci-
men proves that honeybees are one of the oldest creatures remaining since dinosaurs and
possibly the reason that fruits, vegetables, and animals still exist today. Further evidence
of beekeeping appears in ancient literature. Mention of honey was made in cuneiform,
the first system of writing, done on clay tablets in Babylonia and Sumeria. Honey also
appears in the ancient Sumerian poem The Epic of Gilgamesh, which dates from 3000
BC.
Long before sugar cane and maple syrup were discovered, honey was the first and
only sweetener available to ancient man. A drawing discovered in 1921 inside a cave
calledlaCuevadelaArana(theSpiderCave)inBicor,Spain,istheearliestknownimage
of a honey hunter. Estimated to be approximately 15,000 years old, it portrays a man
using a rope to climb the side of a mountain and carrying a basket in one of his hands.
Hovering around him are five honeybees, which appear to be emerging from a hole in
the side of the rock. Another man is hanging on to the rope just below him.
Thefirstbookabouthoneywaspublishedon1759inLondon.WritteninEnglishbya
CovantGardenapothecarynamedSirJohnHill,itsramblingtitlewouldnevermakeiton
the shelves in today: The Virtues of Honey in Preventing many of the Worst Disorders,
and in the certain cure of Several Others ...
B EEKEEPING AND H ONEY A ROUND THE W ORLD
Customs and rituals about honey and honeybees weave through every ancient culture in
the world. The information and stories have been passed down through the generations
both orally and in writing.
I have compiled a brief compendium of international honeybee notes and facts.