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Egyptian sources also indicate the Levant as a land of honey. The Egyptian hero Sinuhe indicates that beehives were being kept in the Levant in the 3rd millennium BCE. This depiction of the Levant as a "land of honey" may have later influenced references to the region in the Bible as a "land of milk and honey." Both in the Egyptian and Biblical references to honey denote prosperity in referencing honey. In war campaigns in the region by the Egyptians, they mention taking honey as tribute, indicating the importance of honey as a food product but also, in Egypt, as something used in the embalming process. This is also true in other cultures that embalmed, such as in Georgia, which also used honey as part of the embalming process for the dead. In fact, honey jars have been found in Egyptian tombs.<ref>For more on the significance of honey to ancient Near Eastern societies, see: Dalby, A. (2003). <i>Food in the ancient world, from A to Z.</i> London ; New York: Routledge, pg. 179.</ref>
In India, the Vedas mention honey as a spiritual product and reference its potential for healing. Marriage ceremonies were often symbolized with honey as a way to ward evil from the marriage. The term "madhu" was used for honey and likely influenced the much later Anglo-Saxon term "medu" for honey, which today has become mead, an alcoholic drink that uses honey. Chinese texts from the 1st millennium BCE record beekeeping as also an important activity in ancient China. In ancient Greece, bees were also vital for providing honey that was not only consumed to sweeten food but also used as offerings to the gods. In the New World, stingless honeybees were kept, where the Maya cultivated honey for use in alcoholic drinks (similar to mead) as well as food. In fact, bees for the Maya were treat as pets and kept around the house, likely because they did not sting, although they could still bite. We know from various ancient cultures, honey has been used to treat stomach ailments, ulcers, and various skin burns and wounds.<ref>For more on reference in various ancient societies to beekeeping and records of use for honey, see: de Ruig, Ann. 2012. <i>The History of Man's Use of Honey.</i>Bloomington, Indiana.</ref>
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.<ref>For more on the industry of honey in the Roman period, see: Carne 2009: 208</ref>
In the Medieval period and 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.<ref>For more on Medieval production of honey, see: Adamson, M. W. (2004). Food in medieval times. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, pg. 27.</ref>
[[File:Jan-van-der-Straet Bauerlicher-Bienenstand.png|thumbnail|Figure 2. Scene of beehive collection for extracting honey from the 16th century.]]
