King's College London

Believed to originate in Paradise and set apart in their chastity, bees were potent religious symbols in medieval Christianity and Islam. This was of great economic consequence: beeswax candles were necessary for the Mass, and honey was a highly sought after commodity in Muslim lands.

This project explores how cultural ideas of the bee drove a far-flung and expansive trade in wax and honey, encouraging beekeeping on a vast scale, and revealing the impact of religious consumption on economy and environment in the pre-modern world.