Beer, Barbarism, and the Church from Late Antiquity to the Early Middle

The Roman Empire is defined as that period of time, between 27 BCE and 476 CE, when the city of Rome ruled the known world. The Roman Empire begins when Augustus Caesar becomes the first Emperor of Rome and ends when the last Roman Emperor, Romulus Augustulus, is deposed by the Germanic King Odoacer. Following the Battle of Actium in 31 BCE, Gaius Octavius... [continue reading]

An empire is a political construct in which one state dominates over another state, or a series of states. At its heart, an empire is ruled by an emperor, even though many states in history without an emperor at their head are called "empires". At its core, an empire is the domination of one state by another. This idea lies at the heart... [continue reading]

Beer is one of the oldest intoxicating beverages consumed by human beings. In the west, evidence of early beer brewing has been confirmed by finds at the Sumerian settlement of Godin Tepe in modern-day Iran going back to between 3500-3100 BCE. The Sumerians loved beer so much they ascribed the creation of it to the gods and beer plays a prominent role in many... [continue reading]