Beekeeping and Honey Throughout History - Honeybee: Lessons from an Accidental Beekeeper - page 59

• Huang Gongxiu says in Probes on Materia Medica , written around 1736-1796, that
“When honey is fresh, it is cool in nature and clears venting. When it is cooked, it is
warminnatureandsupplements theinternal organs.Itsflavoristhepurest.Whoever
feels deficiency in the internal organs, dryand unresolved, uncomfortable and unbal-
anced; with sudden pain in the heart or the stomach, have coughs and diarrhea, feels
dizzying and looks withered, can all use honey to remedy the conditions.”
GREECE
• In Natural History , Aristotle wrote about his observations of the honeybee, including
how it collects the juices from flowers and carries them back to its hive. He recog-
nized that the juices were watery and that it took some time for them to attain the
correct consistency of honey. Unfortunately, his observations were not completely
accurate; for example, he wrote that honey is deposited from the atmosphere.
• The honeybees' organized structure inside the hive inspired Lycurgus, the founder of
theancientcityofSparta.Hewassoimpressedbythesocialstructureofthehivethat
he used the bee colony as a model for his government.
• Traces of honey were found in cooking pots from the Mycenaeans. Today, Greek
desserts, such as baklava and yogurts, are often slathered in honey.
ISRAEL
•Whatisnowthoughttobeoneofthefirstfull-scaleapiarieswasfoundinexcavations
at Tel Rehov in Israel's Beth Shean Valley. The apiary dates from the period of the
First Temple (in the tenth to early ninth century BC) and housed approximately two
hundred hives. The beehives resemble clay tubes lying on their sides and stacked on
top of one another. Remarkably, they resemble the style of apiaries found in Middle
Egypt. All indications are that beekeeping and the extraction of honey and honey-
comb was a highly developed industry at Tel Rehov at this time. When the Bible
called Israel the “land of milk and honey,” there is a good chance it was referring to
Tel Rehov, one of the most important cities and a beekeeping center.
INDIA
• Honey has an important role in the festival of Madhu Purnima, celebrated by the
Buddhists of India. When the Buddha made peace with his disciples, he retreated in-
to the wilderness. There a monkey gave him honey to eat. In honor of the monkey's
generosity, Buddhists often give honey to monks during the festival.