First up: boiling. It sounds obvious to us, but back then, it was a lifesaving revelation. Ancient Chinese texts from around 2000 BCE recommend boiling water for health, while the Edwin Smith Papyrus (Egyptian, 1500 BCE) suggests it as a cure for stomach woes. People didn’t know about germs—they just noticed that water left in a clay pot over a fire made them less sick. Smart, right?
But here’s the kicker: boiling was a huge pain in the neck. You needed a fire, fuel, and a metal pot (which was precious). For most folks, it was a luxury reserved for the sick or the wealthy. So they got creative. They’d boil water only when they had to, and they’d drink the leftover “tea” from cooking grains. It wasn’t glamorous, but it kept the plague away—sort of.
