ROMANIZATION AND DRINKING NORMS: A MODEL TO EXPLAIN DIFFERENCES IN WESTERN SOCIETY

Abstract

A striking difference in drinking practices and attitudes between various western cultures and nations, particularly in western Europe between the north and south is found.. These differences do not appear to be just a modern phenomenon. The purpose of this paper is to propose a model which explains the origins of these divergent cultural norm in modern western European society and the influence of the Roman Empire. From antiquity, distinctly different practices and attitudes concerning alcohol consumption developed in the northern and in the Mediterranean areas of western Europe. During the expansion of the Roman Empire, rural areas of west central Europe became Romanized. As a part of this process, indigenous inhabitants adopted some customs from urban Roman culture, including wine drinking with meals. When Rome's influence declined in the west, former provinces which retained Roman culture also retained drinking patterns characterized by moderation. The Germanic cultures beyond the Rhine, untouched by direct Roman influence, continued their traditional heavy, feast drinking patterns. Ale and mead, not wine, were the preferred alcoholic beverages. Britain lost its veneer of Romanization and returned to pre Roman Celtic practices, while Gaul integrated some aspects of northern drinking into its predominantly southern patterns. These patterns solidified during the early Middle Ages and became the underlying norms for the cultures overlaying these areas into modern times.