jan 1, 870 BC - King Ashurnasirpal II of Assyria holds feast to mark the inauguration of his new capital at Nimrud in 870 B.C.E.
Description:
In this feast he shows off his wealth to the 70,000 people that attended by serving 1,000 fattened cattle, 1000 calves, 10,000 sheep, 15,000 lambs. 1,000 spring lambs, 500 gazelles, 1,000 ducks, 1,000 geese, 20,000 doves, 12,000 other small birds, 10,000 fish, 10,000 jerboa(a kind of small rodent), 10,000 eggs, & 1,000 crates of vegetables. What was a far more impressive display of wealth though was Ashurnasirpal's choice of drink. He served 10,000 jars of beer, but beer was common and not a sign of wealth. He also served 10,000 skins of wine, wine was not half as common as beer which made it so much more desirable and a sign of wealth and power.(pgs. 43-44)
Added to timeline:
The Historical Timeline of Wine
Date:
Images:
![]()
