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A few
interesting facts
Exactly how long honey has been in existence is hard to say because it
has been around since as far back as we can record. Cave paintings in
Spain from 7OOOBC show the earliest records of beekeeping, however,
fossils of honey bees date back about 150 million years! Its 'magical'
properties and versatility has given honey a significant part in
history:
* The earliest record of keeping bees in hives was found in the sun
temple erected in 2400BC near Cairo. The bee featured frequently in
Egyptian hieroglyphs and, being favoured by the pharaohs, often
symbolised royalty.
* The ancient Egyptians used honey as a sweetener, as a gift to their
gods and even as an ingredient in embalming fluid. Honey cakes were
baked by the Egyptians and used as an offering to placate the gods. The
Greeks, too, made honey cakes and offered them to the gods.
* The Greeks viewed honey as not only an important food, but also as a
healing medicine. Greek recipes books were full of sweetmeats and cakes
made from honey. Cheeses were mixed with honey to make cheesecakes,
described by Euripides in the fifth century BC as being "steeped
most thoroughly in the rich honey of the golden bee."
* The Romans also used honey as a gift to the gods and they used it
extensively in cooking. Beekeeping flourished throughout the Roman
empire.
* Once Christianity was established, honey and beeswax production
increased greatly to meet the demand for church candles.
* Honey continued to be of importance in Europe until the Renaissance,
when the arrival of sugar from further a field meant honey was used
less. By the seventeenth century sugar was being used regularly as a
sweetener and honey was used even less.
* As bees were thought to have special powers, they were often used as
emblems: Pope Urban VIII used the bee as his emblem The bee was the sign
of the king of Lower Egypt during the First Dynasty(3 ,2OOBC).
Napoleon's flag carried a single line of bees in flight, and his robe
was embroidered with single bees.
In the third century BC, the bee was the emblem used on coins in the
Greek city of Ephesus
The bee was the symbol of the Greek goddess Artemis and also the emblem
of eros/cupid (Taken from The Honey Organisation Booklet, produced
for Honey Week 31st January-6th February 2000)
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