Did people drink anything other than wine or water in Biblical times?

by guitarfluffy

Were there drinks aside from water and wine in the New Testament era/regions? It seems like those are the two mostly mentioned.

Stone_Cold_Pineapple

Hi there, It's not my area of expertise- But I know for a fact that ancient civilizations of the biblical era consumed beer. And going a little farther back, consumed various alcoholic beverages for various purposes. I found some other answers from this sub that can go into (cited) detail.

/u/husky54 On Beer: https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/3bwi8h/beer_is_the_most_ancient_fermented_beverage_of/

Thread on Beer: https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/5n41o0/ancient_egyptians_and_mesopotamians_drank_beer/

I've also included this answer that concerns Steppe societies. Steppe cultures drank a fermented, alcoholic, milk. As Steppe societies usually shunned the written word until they came down from the Steppes. It is possible, though unknown, if they consumed it in your timeframe.

Hope this helped!

intangible-tangerine

The word 'wine' in English translations of the Bible is used as a translation for a whole group of Greek and Hebrew words. These included terms for boozy grape juice, but also for non fermented grape juice, for booze made from other crops, for non alcoholic drinks made from other crops and even for food stuffs.

Best online sources I can find are from Christian websites. https://www.cai.org/bible-studies/hebrew-and-greek-words-translated-wine