I think they generally drank wine diluted with water, because of widespread pollution of their water. The wine’s alcohol killed the bacteria in the polluted water. One could drink a lot of diluted wine before one became drunk.
The Puritans in New England drank beer for the same reason. It was common for their water to be polluted.
The Puritans in New England drank beer for the same reason. It was common for their water to be polluted.
...neither the ancients nor the Puritans knew anything whatsoever about bacteria...