Honey: Difference between revisions

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In [[ancient Greek religion]], the food of [[Zeus]] and the twelve [[Twelve Olympians|Gods of Olympus]] was honey in the form of nectar and [[ambrosia]].

In the [[Hebrew Bible]], the [[Promised Land]] (Canaan, the Land of Israel) is described 16 times as "the [[Exodus 3|land of milk and honey]]" as a metaphor for its bounty. Of the 55 times the word "honey" appears in the Hebrew Bible, 16 are part of the expression "the land of milk and honey", and only twice is "honey" explicitly associated with bees, both being related to wild bees. Modern biblical researchers long considered that the original Hebrew word used in the Bible, (דבש, ''devash)'', refers to the [[Date honey|sweet syrup]] produced from [[fig]]s or [[Phoenix dactylifera|dates]], because the domestication of the honey bee was completely undocumented through archaeology anywhere in the [[ancient Near East]] (excluding Egypt) at the time associated with the earlier biblical narratives~~<ref name=1stANE />~~ (books of [[Book of Exodus|Exodus]], [[Book of Judges|Judges]], [[Books of Kings|Kings]], etc.). In 2005, however, an apiary dating from the 10th century BC was found in [[Tel Rehov]], Israel that contained 100 hives, estimated to produce half a ton of honey annually. This was, as of 2007, the only such finding made by archaeologists in the entire ancient Near East region, and it opens the possibility that biblical honey was indeed bee honey.

In the [[Hebrew Bible]], the [[Promised Land]] (Canaan, the Land of Israel) is described 16 times as "the [[Exodus 3|land of milk and honey]]" as a metaphor for its bounty. Of the 55 times the word "honey" appears in the Hebrew Bible, 16 are part of the expression "the land of milk and honey", and only twice is "honey" explicitly associated with bees, both being related to wild bees. Modern biblical researchers long considered that the original Hebrew word used in the Bible, (דבש, ''devash)'', refers to the [[Date honey|sweet syrup]] produced from [[fig]]s or [[Phoenix dactylifera|dates]], because the domestication of the honey bee was completely undocumented through archaeology anywhere in the [[ancient Near East]] (excluding Egypt) at the time associated with the earlier biblical narratives (books of [[Book of Exodus|Exodus]], [[Book of Judges|Judges]], [[Books of Kings|Kings]], etc.). In 2005, however, an apiary dating from the 10th century BC was found in [[Tel Rehov]], Israel that contained 100 hives, estimated to produce half a ton of honey annually. This was, as of 2007, the only such finding made by archaeologists in the entire ancient Near East region, and it opens the possibility that biblical honey was indeed bee honey.

[[File:May_you_all_have_a_sweet_year_(365-271)_(6194230350).jpg|thumb|In [[Judaism]], honey symbolizes the sweetness of the New Year, ''[[Rosh Hashanah]]'', and is traditionally eaten with apple slices.]]

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 In [[ancient Greek religion]], the food of [[Zeus]] and the twelve [[Twelve Olympians|Gods of Olympus]] was honey in the form of nectar and [[ambrosia]].
-In the [[Hebrew Bible]], the [[Promised Land]] (Canaan, the Land of Israel) is described 16 times as "the [[Exodus 3|land of milk and honey]]" as a metaphor for its bounty. Of the 55 times the word "honey" appears in the Hebrew Bible, 16 are part of the expression "the land of milk and honey", and only twice is "honey" explicitly associated with bees, both being related to wild bees. Modern biblical researchers long considered that the original Hebrew word used in the Bible, (דבש, ''devash)'', refers to the [[Date honey|sweet syrup]] produced from [[fig]]s or [[Phoenix dactylifera|dates]], because the domestication of the honey bee was completely undocumented through archaeology anywhere in the [[ancient Near East]] (excluding Egypt) at the time associated with the earlier biblical narratives<ref name=1stANE /> (books of [[Book of Exodus|Exodus]], [[Book of Judges|Judges]], [[Books of Kings|Kings]], etc.). In 2005, however, an apiary dating from the 10th century BC was found in [[Tel Rehov]], Israel that contained 100 hives, estimated to produce half a ton of honey annually. This was, as of 2007, the only such finding made by archaeologists in the entire ancient Near East region, and it opens the possibility that biblical honey was indeed bee honey.
+In the [[Hebrew Bible]], the [[Promised Land]] (Canaan, the Land of Israel) is described 16 times as "the [[Exodus 3|land of milk and honey]]" as a metaphor for its bounty. Of the 55 times the word "honey" appears in the Hebrew Bible, 16 are part of the expression "the land of milk and honey", and only twice is "honey" explicitly associated with bees, both being related to wild bees. Modern biblical researchers long considered that the original Hebrew word used in the Bible, (דבש, ''devash)'', refers to the [[Date honey|sweet syrup]] produced from [[fig]]s or [[Phoenix dactylifera|dates]], because the domestication of the honey bee was completely undocumented through archaeology anywhere in the [[ancient Near East]] (excluding Egypt) at the time associated with the earlier biblical narratives (books of [[Book of Exodus|Exodus]], [[Book of Judges|Judges]], [[Books of Kings|Kings]], etc.). In 2005, however, an apiary dating from the 10th century BC was found in [[Tel Rehov]], Israel that contained 100 hives, estimated to produce half a ton of honey annually. This was, as of 2007, the only such finding made by archaeologists in the entire ancient Near East region, and it opens the possibility that biblical honey was indeed bee honey.
 [[File:May_you_all_have_a_sweet_year_(365-271)_(6194230350).jpg|thumb|In [[Judaism]], honey symbolizes the sweetness of the New Year, ''[[Rosh Hashanah]]'', and is traditionally eaten with apple slices.]]