Drunk On History

In the ninth episode of  Drunk On History , host Lauren Dogaer talks with Aurea Toxqui to explore the history of alcohol in Latin America. Together, they travel across the Maya, Inca, and Aztec worlds, examining the drinks people made, the ways they consumed them, and the roles alcohol played in everyday and ceremonial life. The conversation explores Maya beverages such as saqqa and balché, includ...

In the eighth episode of  Drunk On History , host Lauren Dogaer talks with Jacob Damm, archaeologist and specialist in the ancient Levant, to explore the long and fascinating history of alcohol production and consumption in the region. Together, they examine archaeological evidence for brewing, from some of the earliest possible evidence at Raqefet Cave to Egyptian brewing traditions preserved at...

In the seventh episode of  Drunk On History , host Lauren Dogaer talks with Joshua Driscoll, an archaeologist specializing in Iron Age Europe. Together, they explore the diverse drinking cultures of Iron Age communities, from beer and mead to wine and other fermented beverages. They discuss how different drinks were produced, consumed, and associated with everyday life, feasting, ritual, and socia...

In the sixth episode of Drunk On History, host Lauren Dogaer talks with James McHugh, an expert in pre-modern India, Indian religion, and Sanskrit literature. Together, they explore what ancient Sanskrit texts reveal, and sometimes obscure, about alcohol consumption, moderation, and the remarkable diversity of intoxicating beverages in pre-modern India. Drinks such as  sura  and  soma  challenge t...

In the fifth episode of  Drunk On History , host Lauren Dogaer talks with Emlyn Dodd, archaeologist and expert on ancient wine production in the Roman world. Together, they explore the central role of wine in Roman society, from everyday consumption to its importance as a marker of status, identity, and civilisation. They also discuss the wide variety of wines produced across the empire and how Ro...

In the fourth episode of Drunk On History , host Lauren Dogaer talks with Morgan Moroney, Assistant Curator of Egyptian, Classical and Ancient Near Eastern Art at the Brooklyn Museum in New York. Together, they explore common assumptions about alcohol consumption in Ancient Egypt, including the idea that beer was the drink of the common people while wine was reserved for the elite. They also discu...

In the third episode of the Drunk On History podcast, host Lauren Dogaer and Professor Nadhira Hill of Randolph-Macon College delve into the fascinating world of ancient Greek drinking practices, particularly focusing on the symposium. Professor Hill explains that the symposium, an all-male drinking party, usually took place in an andron , a rectangular or square space at the home, with a raised p...

In this fascinating episode, host Lauren Dogaer sits down with Professor Tate Paulette of North Carolina State University, a leading expert in ancient urban food systems and Mesopotamian archaeology. Together, they explore the world of ancient Mesopotamia - often called the cradle of civilization - where the first cities, states, and writing systems emerged around 3000 BC. Tate unpacks the complex...

In the inaugural episode of  Drunk on History , we’re joined by renowned anthropologist Prof. Michael Dietler for a deep dive into the complex social life of alcohol. Far from being just a beverage, alcohol has long been a powerful cultural force. Professor Dietler unpacks how different societies across history have defined alcohol, ritualized its consumption, and embedded it into systems of ident...

I am Lauren Dogaer, an Ancient Historian and Egyptologist. Fascinated by history and the ancient world, I truly believe we can learn something valuable from the societies that came before us. So I thought — why not get  Drunk on History ? Drunk on History  is a podcast that explores humanity’s complex relationship with alcohol — from ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia to Rome, Mesoamerica, India, China...