It was a really hot day today in my area and everyone was eating crushed ice to help cool down, which lead me to wonder - did our ancestors do the same thing on a hot day? When did ice become a staple in our lives and what did people do before the invention of ice boxes or freezers??
Would someone like Alexander the Great have consumed ice in his drinks or eaten a frozen treat to keep himself cool? What about an average person that lived in a hot country, would they ever have access to ice? Could you get ice in the middle of the summer????????
Thanks to anyone with an answer =)
Ice houses were used to store ice during the summer months in many cultures. Alexander used snow rather than ice, stored in snow pits. The ice house was in use in some of the territories he conquered so he probably at least knew of them. The earliest mention of one is around 1800 bc, in Mesopotamia. More widespread use was in the form of the Yakhchal in Persia from around 400bc. Ice house remains from the 7th century bc have been found in China.