Nov. 21 (Bloomberg) -- “The mouth of a perfectly contented man is filled with beer,” according to the ancient Egyptians, and on that basis it was a happy society.

Bare-breasted women engaged in sudsy brewing work adorn tomb paintings and clay models from the dynastic period. To slake his thirst, each laborer on the pyramids got a daily beer allotment of 1 1/3 gallons. Everyone partied at the annual celebration of the Drunkenness of Hathor, goddess of fertility, motherhood and the Milky Way.

As a luxury associated with the divine, wine was the royals’ drink of choice. King Tutankhamen was buried with 26 ample jars, including a nice red aged by chief vintner Khaa, and a sweet white from the Estate of Aton.

Human beings have been consuming alcohol for millennia, with the earliest evidence appearing around 8000 B.C., and it has been both praised as a sacred intoxicant and condemned as a satanic drink.

I spoke with Iain Gately, author of “Drink: A Cultural History of Alcohol” (Gotham Books), on the following topics:

1. Status Drinking

2. Inspired by Wine

3. Christian Sacrament

4. Distilled Spirits

5. Imbibing Too Deeply

To buy this book in North America, click here.

(Lewis Lapham is the founder of Lapham’s Quarterly and the former editor of Harper’s Magazine. He hosts “The World in Time” interview series for Bloomberg News.)

To contact the writer on the story: Lewis Lapham in New York at lhl@laphamsquarterly.org.

Last Updated: November 21, 2009 00:01 EST