Honey And Its History: From Neolithic Times To Today

3Bee is the Nature Tech company that develops technologies for the protection of biodiversity. 3Bee Hive-Tech is 3Bee's first system for analysing the health and 'starvation' status of honeybees, environmental bees par excellence. Over time, we have developed other technologies to study and monitor all the pollinating insects and created more than 200 Oases of Biodiversity with thousands of nectariferous plants to provide them with nourishment. Thus, we want to create a virtuous circle: our beekeepers are transformed by necessity into Oasis growers and promoters of environmental biodiversity. We do not encourage massive production and intensive breeding, which have a negative impact on biodiversity and pollinators. We do, however, recognise the value of honey as a valuable symbol of the biodiversity of an environment and a tool for disseminating the commitment and protection of an area, to be consumed sparingly and with respect for the life cycle of these insects.

From the simple search for wild swarms to collect honey, they gradually moved on to their breeding. There are reliable records of this practice in the period of Ancient Egypt, some 3000 years before the birth of Christ. At that time, horizontally arranged cylindrical terracotta hives were used, from which honeycombs filled with honey were extracted. It was also during this period that the first form of nomadic beekeeping developed: the Egyptians moved their hives along the course of the Nile to follow the natural succession of blooms and exploit their full potential. In Ancient Egypt, honey was a food destined only for the highest castes, but it also had a ritual value and was used in medicine. During archaeological excavations, jars of honey were found in the tombs of pharaohs and it is known that it was also used during mummification rites. It was also used to treat digestive disorders, burns and wounds.

The Sumerians used honey for cosmetic purposes, while the Babylonians and Assyrians had discovered its beneficial properties for curing skin, eye, genital and digestive disorders. It was also used to prepare tasty dishes. Honey was so important that even the Code of Hammurabi contained specific articles protecting beekeepers who suffered theft. Not surprising, don't you think? Sumerians, Babylonians and Assyrians and honey.

Extensive mention of honey is found in the time of the Greeks and Romans. Honey and bees are often found in mythology, in tales such as the one recounting the birth of Zeus, who was fed goat's milk and honey by nymphs. A true 'food of the gods', honey was used both in cooking and in religious and funeral rites. A food much consumed by sportsmen, it was considered by Pythagoras to be an elixir to ensure a long and healthy life. The Romans imported large quantities of honey from Cyprus, Spain, Crete and Malta, which seems to have derived its name from the precious foodstuff. It is also during this period that important information about the world of bees begins to emerge.

Authors such as Varro, Columella, Pliny the Elder and Virgil speak extensively about this in their works, drawing on what had previously been written by Aristotle. He was in fact the first to attempt to describe the anatomy of bees and the phenomenon of honey formation. At the time, it was thought that honey literally fell from the sky and that bees merely collected it. Seneca put forward the hypothesis that bees somehow intervened in the honey production process, but it was not until the 17th century that more accurate scientific information on this was obtained. In any case, beekeeping was widespread in Roman times and honey had many uses, from medicine to cooking to cosmetics. In general, honey was widely used as a sweetener, condiment and preservative. It was used in the preparation of various fish and legume dishes and mead was made from its fermentation.

Honey was still known in India, where it was used as an aphrodisiac. It was considered a symbol of beauty, goodness and virtue and played a particularly important role in Ayurvedic medicine, which attributed various properties to it. It was in fact used as a purifying, vermifuge, tonic, healing, cooling, cosmetic... In the Coran it is represented as a symbol of spiritual to material healing. Medicine, aesthetics and honey, is that not surprising?

Throughout the Middle Ages, honey continued to play an important role in food and began to be used as a preservative. During the reign of Charlemagne, beekeeping developed enormously, thanks also to a proper regulation of beekeeping and an incentive for the production of honey and mead. Also during this period, beekeeping spread to convents and abbeys. Read on, the story continues...

The Renaissance also saw honey as a protagonist in the culinary sphere, used in a variety of ways to sweeten and accompany meats, stews and casseroles. Its use as a medicine was widespread mainly in the context of galenic medicine, which aspired to keep the humours that were thought to make up the human body in balance.The 1600s saw the beginning of sugar cane and beet cultivation. The use of sugar did not become widespread until the 18th century, when its production increased to such an extent that it became much cheaper and more accessible than honey. As a result, sugar gradually replaced honey, the consumption of which declined.

It was only from the early 20th century that more attention began to be focused on honey and its different types. Until then, distinctions were based on visual observations or taste. In the 1920s, the concept of unifloral honey and the need to distinguish honey according to the type of flower from which it was produced began to gain ground in Italy. It was not until the 1970s, however, that the first melissopalynological analyses and pollen residue analysis began to be carried out in order to understand the flower from which the honey came. The interest in honey and its specificities was so great that it led to the creation of special sensory analysis courses and competitions on a national scale to identify the best quality honeys.

The numerous benefits of honey still make it a food loved by many and always present on our tables. Its uses are not limited to cooking, but also range from cosmetics to medicine. To benefit fully from it, however, it is necessary to choose a quality product that has not been altered by industrial processing. By adopting a 3Bee hive, you can not only have the honey of your choice at home, but also monitor the bees that produce it on a day-to-day basis. Each honey is a typical expression of the territory where it is made: discover our beekeepers and the honeys available!