Re: Destillation

From: Henrix <henrix_at_pp.sbbs.se>
Date: Thu, 5 Oct 2000 15:46:03 +0200

Graham Robinson:
> > Distillation on earth wasn't invented until the 13th century, and in
> > Glorantha seems to me like something only dwarves would do. So freezing
> is
> > the only obvious way to produce a higher alcohol content than wine.
>
> Distillation is much older than this. Aristotle mentions it, but only for
> obtaining pure water from the sea. There is some evidence for the Romans
> producing brandy like drinks as early as 100AD, and the chinese were
> distilling rice beer by 800AD.

Yup, the 13th c. is when distillation of spirits became widely known in Europe, the arabs (as the name alcohol, al'khul, implies) had known how to do it since at least the 8th c. (I did not know that the Chinese had it at that time, incidentally China had control over Afghanistan around then for a short while, so it need not at alla have been independent discoveries.)

I do not know about the Romans distilling alcohol (I have not seen any reference to it). They might well have, as they certainly distilled turpentine.

> Having said that, it does have a certain dwarven feel to it - maybe thats
> what the openhandists are really up to...

No wonder they are popular....selling firewater to the natives.

I would think that alchemists know how to distill things in general, but that the use is not widespread and that few distill alcohol, alhough Lunar Gin and medicinal liqours in the West do have a certain ring to it.

I really liked Glorantha being a world with just "bronze age technology" (whatever that really means), it was one of those things that made Glorantha stand out from the crowd (not yet another quasi-medieaval world), but it is hard to hold on to. *sigh* Oh, well.

• -- Henrix

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