3,257
edits
Changes
→Use in Historical Periods
In the Roman period, honey keeping was a mass industry that spread throughout Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Pliny mentions beekeeping in various parts of the empire and large slabs would be used to collect the honey made by bees, where the honey was then applied to a variety of food products mostly as a sweetener.
In the Medieval periodand early modern period(Figure 2), honey continued to be cultivated for its healing and medicinal use as well as for sweetening food. Wax was just as important to Medieval Europe as honey collection, where candles were mostly made. This made beekeeping a very important profession that allowed beekeepers and owners to develop substantial wealth relative to other professions. Wax was also used for seals and sealing documents, particularly official documents relaying important church business or royal edicts. [[File:Jan-van-der-Straet Bauerlicher-Bienenstand.png|thumbnail|Figure 2. Scene of beehive collection for extracting honey from the 16th century.]]
==Modern Use==
