A (Brief) History of Early Beekeeping

Beekeeping didn’t always look the way it does now. Humans have lived in community with bees for millennia, though we haven’t always kept them as livestock. Cultures throughout history have cultivated close relationships with bees, and they are important symbols in global mythologies, histories, and economies.

What is Apiculture?

The domestication and management of bees by humans! Out of 20,000 species, only two produce enough honey for humans to harvest: the honeybee, which includes up to 11 species and 43 subspecies, and the sugarbag bee of Australia.

Archaeological sites across Africa have found evidence of apiculture in pre-history, but the practice was first recorded and described in great detail in Egypt, where bees were encouraged to nest in clay pottery that would then be smashed to gather honey. The Egyptian people have revered bees since at least 3500 BC, even seeing them as a symbol of kings.

Early beekeeping hives came in a variety of shapes and materials: wicker, wood, bark, cork, fennel sticks, straw, and earthenware vessels were common. Unfortunately, these hives were not meant for longevity; to collect honey the old way meant to destroy the hive and kill the bees. The earliest evidence found of a culture removing honeycomb without destroying the hive is approximately 900 BC in Palestine, where ceramic vessels (called Gaza ware for the city they were created in) were embedded in stone walls to form an apiary. A part of the hive was removable so Palestinian beekeepers could harvest the honey without harming the bees or destroying the hive.

Contemporary writers during Egypt's Ptolemaic period described how early beekeepers moved their hives to follow nectar sources; some would use donkeys to move the hives between islands, and beekeepers on the Nile would use boats to transport hives upriver to better foraging sites. The boats would gradually ride lower in the water as the hives filled with nectar.

Near Valencia, Spain, rock paintings (at least fifteen thousand years old!) depict hunters gathering wild honey. Similar paintings have been found in Africa, Europe, and the Americas.

We value honeybees not just their honey, but also their wax, which has been historically used for waterproofing clothing, embalming, and even writing, with wax slates that could be warmed and pressed flat, creating a reusable and portable tablet.

No matter where you go in the world, you can find the importance of bees acknowledged.

Sources

• Taxel, I. Ceramic Evidence for Beekeeping in Palestine in the Mamluk and Ottoman Periods, Levant (2006). DOI:10.1179/lev.2006.38.1.203.

• Ottoman History Podcast, episode 317.

• The Beekeeper’s Bible: Bees, Honey, Recipes & Other Home Uses, Abrams, (2011).