Ancient Wine - P. E. McGovern

Not a particularly great read - too much arcane methodology discussion.

Some interesting facts, though:

- wine seems to have first appeared around 5500 BCE, which is remarkable; almost contemporaneous with the appearance of farming - wine and cheese, some of our earliest foods

- first records are in the Zagros mountains above the plains of Babylon - also along the highlands in Turkey above the Syrian plain and in the Caucasus - basically the edges of the fertile crescent where elevations created slightly cooler, wetter growing conditions

- the method of fermenting wine in clay containers buried in the ground is one of the earliest methods, and is still practised in Georgia

- flavoured wines were very common in early period - spices and other flavourings helped preserve the wine from turning to vinegar - retsina (or pine resin) is only one of the additives - frankincense myrrh, a selection of herbs and spices were also used - oaking wine is a very ancient practice; it is basically adding the flavour/chemical substance in oak to the wine by storing it in barrels, and served to preserve as well as mellow the wine by interacting with some of the chemicals in the wine

- Christianity is so deeply rooted in the preceding mythology and ancient culture of the middle east, not only in its Old Testament mythology and stories, but also in its cult of wine - wine has been an integral part of religious rites and offerings since its first appearance in the Middle East

- makes wine all the more fascinating and enjoyable...

The Book of Genesis - R. Crumb

Worth a look.  Some fabulous black and white drawings - the faces are wonderful.  Also less dry than reading just the words, which he has remained faithful to.

He has some interesting commentary at the back giving some background on the life and times and looks at some of the more confusing aspects of the genesis story, particularly the role of women in society in a pre-patriarchal society and how it might be showing up as last remnants in the Genesis story.

Babylon: Mesopotamia and the Birth of Civilizaton - Pau Kriwaczek

A well-written overview of the rise of Mesopotamia and its permutations as Babylon and Assyria.

Lots of interesting bits of information jump out:
- how early we developed many of our current staples of diet: bread, cheese, beer, wine
- how early the basic structures of commerce and finance emerged
- the transformation from religious, egalitarian society to kings/dictators when conflict first arises between the various cities in the Mesopotamian basin
- that the Assyrians were the first to develop segregation of women, veiling, and the notion of inferior status, cultural trends that were later adopted by Judaism, Islam and the Byzantines/Greeks
- Babylonians were the first to develop the notion of one godhead; the concept of transcendent god as opposed to immanent god, or god in forces of nature - also the idea of god being above nature and, by extension, man being above nature as he is made in the image of god (again, especially influential on the Old Testament)

For further reading in this area, a great source for Bibliography, links etc.

In particular:
Early Mesopotamia:  Society and Economy at the Dawn of History - J. N. Postgate

A History of the Ancient Near East - Marc van de Mieroop

The Might that was Assyria - Henry W. F. Sagg