The Greeks believed that honey descended from heaven as dew, before being collected by bees. They therefore named Mead ambrosia; quite literally the nectar of the gods. But the popularity of mead wasn’t reserved for the Greeks, but it was widely distributed through the Norse cultures, Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Mayans and Celts.
Mead is both a very simple ferment, as well as quite a complex one.
At it’s simplest, you simply mix some honey with water and fermentation will spontaneously erupt. This fermentation will be due to yeasts present in the atmosphere and, once there is enough free water in the honey, they will happily start munching away at the sugars producing alcohol and mead. In fact, it is believed that it was this process that led to the discovery of mead way back in the mists of time.