Beer.
No, really. Bear with me.
Our early ancestors we largely nomadic, hunter-gatherer types. This meant difficult days, poor survival and no leisure time.
At some stage, natural fermentation was discovered, with the inevitable side effects. However, in learning to control this fermentation our savannah skipping chums would have realised that to produce beer they needed to allow fermentation to take place, rather than stumble across a pre-fermented batch.
This led to groups lingering in one area, while they waited for their brew to ferment, during which time they would have spent time in a local area, rather than roaming as before.
Over time, this has led to the beginnings of settlement, for instance in caves where the brew could be left to ferment. Likewise early agriculture arose from this more fixed lifestyle, which allowed for crops to be tended and maintained. In turn, this led to the establishment of homes, and the time spent travelling could now be used for more cultural pursuits. That started with cave painting, etc and early tools, the control and management of fire, so on and so forth.
The time needed to teach and nurture our children was previously spent hunting or gathering. The time needed to make tools was now available. Fires warmed the caves, cooked our foor and and lit our painting; language developed to express cultural ideas. The notions of society evolved, and so forth.
Without beer – the incentive to linger in one place – we’d still be wandering the plains looking for lunch.
