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The social importance placed on food and wine in the Greek world was even more pronounced and had profound consequences for the rest of the world As one modern historian aptly put it How classical Athens was fed is not a matter of marginal importance Nothing less than the material base of a brilliant civilization is at issue Indeed it was through the ability to create a food surplus that the ancient Greeks were able to establish theirpoleisand from these go on to develop the political and social structures that built the backbone of Western Civilization Drinking for pleasure as opposed to simply meeting the bodys requirement for hydration was so crucial in Greece that a couple historians noted In a way the study of the classics is the study of the consumption of alcohol While this assertion is an oversimplification there is no doubt that alcohol played a crucial role in the evolution of Greek culture