Beer in ancient times

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Exactly when beer was first brewed cannot be determined. Two
slate tablets are displayed in the British Museum in London,
which were, in the year 1926, scientifically estimated to be
about 9000 years old. The scientist, a Mr. E. Huber, was of the
opinion that the inscriptions on these tablets showed the coarse
milling of emmer (A prehistoric grain type, similar to spelt,
used for the brewing of beer). He concluded that this was
possibly the oldest evidence of the brewing of beer. More recent
research has indicated that the tablets are probably not so old
as Mr. Huber thought and that even the connection with the
brewing process may be doubtful.

The oldest proven records of brewing are about 6000 years old and
refer to the

Sumarians

Sumaria lay between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers,
encompassing Southern Mesopotamia. The Sumarians
discovered the fermentation process by chance. Of course, nobody
knows today, exactly how this occurred, but it could be that a
piece of bread became wet and was simply forgotten. After a short
time the bread began to ferment and a inebriating pulp resulted.
The Sumarians were able to repeat this process and are assumed to
be he first civilized culture to brew beer. They had discovered a
"divine drink" which they offered to their gods.

Gilgamesh

From the Gilgamesh Epic, written in the 3rd millennium B.C., we
learn that not only bread but also beer were very important. This
epic is recognized as one of the first great works of world
literature. Ancient oral sagas from the beginning of human
history were recorded in writing for the first time. The
Gilgamesh Epic describes the evolution from primitive man to
"cultured man".

Enkidu, a shaggy, unkempt, almost beastial primitive
man, who ate grass and could milk wild animals, wanted
to test his strength against Gilgamesh, the demigod-like
sovereign. Taking no chances, Gilgamesh sent a whore to Enkidu to
learn of his strengths and weaknesses. Enkidu enjoyed a week with
her, during which she taught him of civilization:

"(..)Enkidu knew not, what bread was nor how one ate it. He had
also not learned to drink beer. The whore opened her mouth and
spoke to Enkidu: `Eat the bread now, O Enkidu, as it belongs to
life. Drink also beer, as it is the custom of the land. (..) "
Enkidu drank seven cups of beer and his heart soared. In this
condition he washed himself and became a human being.

The Sumarian empire collapsed during the 2nd millennium B.C.,
hopefully not because of their beer consumption, and the

Babylonians

became the rulers of Mesopotamia. Their culture was
derived from that of the Sumarians, and as a consequence
of this, they also mastered the art of brewing beer. Today we
know that the Babylonians new how to brew 20 different types of
beer. Of these, 8 were brewed from pure emmer, 8 from pure barley
and 4 from a mixture of grains. In Babylonian times beer was
cloudy and unfiltered. The predecessor of the drinking straw was
used to avoid getting the brewing residue, which was very bitter,
in the mouth. Lager beer was even exported to Egypt, 1000
kilometers away. Hammurabi, an important Babylonian king and
kilometers away. Hammurabi, an important Babylonian king and
empire founder, decreed the oldest known collection of
laws. One of these laws established a daily beer ration.
This ration was dependent on the social standing of the
individual. For example, a normal worker received 2 liters, civil
servants 3 liters, and administrators and high priests 5 liters
per day. In these ancient times beer was not sold, but exchanged
for barley. As beer brewing was a household art, it was women's
work. King Hammurabi ordered a female saloonkeeper drowned
because she accepted silver for her beer. Drowning was also the
punishment for serving low quality beer. The

Egyptians

carried on the tradition of beer brewing. They also used unbaked
bread dough for making beer. Peasants along the Nile, the
so-called Fellahs, still make beer the same way today. The
Egyptians added dates to the brew to improve the taste. The
importance of beer brewing in ancient Egypt, can be seen from the
fact that the scribes created an extra hieroglyph for "brewer".

After Egypt was succeeded by the Greeks and

Romans

beer continued to be brewed. Plinius reported of the popularity
of beer in the Mediterranean area before the growing of grapes
for wine took hold. Thereafter, in Rome itself, wine became the
drink of the gods (Bacchus). Beer was only brewed in the outer
areas of the Roman Empire where wine was difficult to obtain. For
the Romans, who almost exclusively drank wine, beer was a
horrible barbarian drink. As Tacitus, who first wrote an
extensive report about the ancient Germans, the

Teutons

put it: "To drink, the Teutons have a horrible brew fermented
from barley or wheat, a brew which has only a very far removed
similarity to wine".

Beer of that era could not be stored, was cloudy and produced
almost no foam.

The oldest proof that beer was brewed on German soil,
comes from the early Hallstatt Period (about 800 B.C.).
Bier amphora found near the present day Kulmbach have been dated
back to this time. A few hundred years after the birth of Christ,
beer was a standard commercial article. This was confirmed by the
finding of a beer seller's mug near Trier. The ancient Germans
regarded beer not only as a sacrifice to the gods but also brewed
beer, as in Egypt, for their own enjoyment and it played an
important role in their daily lives. For example, in the Finnish
poetic saga Kalewala, 400 verses are devoted to beer but only 200
were needed for the creation of the earth. According to the Edda,
the great Nordic epic, wine was reserved for the gods, beer
belonged to mortals and mead to inhabitants of the realm of the
dead. Baking bread and brewing beer were the work of women in the
first centuries after the birth of Christ and remained so until
the Middle Ages.


-----------------------------------------------------------------
© BEER FROM GERMANY is a terramedia project.
All rights reserved.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Beer in ancient times

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Exactly when beer was first brewed cannot be determined. Two
slate tablets are displayed in the British Museum in London,
which were, in the year 1926, scientifically estimated to be
about 9000 years old. The scientist, a Mr. E. Huber, was of the
opinion that the inscriptions on these tablets showed the coarse
milling of emmer (A prehistoric grain type, similar to spelt,
used for the brewing of beer). He concluded that this was
possibly the oldest evidence of the brewing of beer. More recent
research has indicated that the tablets are probably not so old
as Mr. Huber thought and that even the connection with the
brewing process may be doubtful.

The oldest proven records of brewing are about 6000 years old and
refer to the

Sumarians

Sumaria lay between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers,
encompassing Southern Mesopotamia. The Sumarians
discovered the fermentation process by chance. Of course, nobody
knows today, exactly how this occurred, but it could be that a
piece of bread became wet and was simply forgotten. After a short
time the bread began to ferment and a inebriating pulp resulted.
The Sumarians were able to repeat this process and are assumed to
be he first civilized culture to brew beer. They had discovered a
"divine drink" which they offered to their gods.

Gilgamesh

From the Gilgamesh Epic, written in the 3rd millennium B.C., we
learn that not only bread but also beer were very important. This
epic is recognized as one of the first great works of world
literature. Ancient oral sagas from the beginning of human
history were recorded in writing for the first time. The
Gilgamesh Epic describes the evolution from primitive man to
"cultured man".

Enkidu, a shaggy, unkempt, almost beastial primitive
man, who ate grass and could milk wild animals, wanted
to test his strength against Gilgamesh, the demigod-like
sovereign. Taking no chances, Gilgamesh sent a whore to Enkidu to
learn of his strengths and weaknesses. Enkidu enjoyed a week with
her, during which she taught him of civilization:

"(..)Enkidu knew not, what bread was nor how one ate it. He had
also not learned to drink beer. The whore opened her mouth and
spoke to Enkidu: `Eat the bread now, O Enkidu, as it belongs to
life. Drink also beer, as it is the custom of the land. (..) "
Enkidu drank seven cups of beer and his heart soared. In this
condition he washed himself and became a human being.

The Sumarian empire collapsed during the 2nd millennium B.C.,
hopefully not because of their beer consumption, and the

Babylonians

became the rulers of Mesopotamia. Their culture was
derived from that of the Sumarians, and as a consequence
of this, they also mastered the art of brewing beer. Today we
know that the Babylonians new how to brew 20 different types of
beer. Of these, 8 were brewed from pure emmer, 8 from pure barley
and 4 from a mixture of grains. In Babylonian times beer was
cloudy and unfiltered. The predecessor of the drinking straw was
used to avoid getting the brewing residue, which was very bitter,
in the mouth. Lager beer was even exported to Egypt, 1000
kilometers away. Hammurabi, an important Babylonian king and
kilometers away. Hammurabi, an important Babylonian king and
empire founder, decreed the oldest known collection of
laws. One of these laws established a daily beer ration.
This ration was dependent on the social standing of the
individual. For example, a normal worker received 2 liters, civil
servants 3 liters, and administrators and high priests 5 liters
per day. In these ancient times beer was not sold, but exchanged
for barley. As beer brewing was a household art, it was women's
work. King Hammurabi ordered a female saloonkeeper drowned
because she accepted silver for her beer. Drowning was also the
punishment for serving low quality beer. The

Egyptians

carried on the tradition of beer brewing. They also used unbaked
bread dough for making beer. Peasants along the Nile, the
so-called Fellahs, still make beer the same way today. The
Egyptians added dates to the brew to improve the taste. The
importance of beer brewing in ancient Egypt, can be seen from the
fact that the scribes created an extra hieroglyph for "brewer".

After Egypt was succeeded by the Greeks and

Romans

beer continued to be brewed. Plinius reported of the popularity
of beer in the Mediterranean area before the growing of grapes
for wine took hold. Thereafter, in Rome itself, wine became the
drink of the gods (Bacchus). Beer was only brewed in the outer
areas of the Roman Empire where wine was difficult to obtain. For
the Romans, who almost exclusively drank wine, beer was a
horrible barbarian drink. As Tacitus, who first wrote an
extensive report about the ancient Germans, the

Teutons

put it: "To drink, the Teutons have a horrible brew fermented
from barley or wheat, a brew which has only a very far removed
similarity to wine".

Beer of that era could not be stored, was cloudy and produced
almost no foam.

The oldest proof that beer was brewed on German soil,
comes from the early Hallstatt Period (about 800 B.C.).
Bier amphora found near the present day Kulmbach have been dated
back to this time. A few hundred years after the birth of Christ,
beer was a standard commercial article. This was confirmed by the
finding of a beer seller's mug near Trier. The ancient Germans
regarded beer not only as a sacrifice to the gods but also brewed
beer, as in Egypt, for their own enjoyment and it played an
important role in their daily lives. For example, in the Finnish
poetic saga Kalewala, 400 verses are devoted to beer but only 200
were needed for the creation of the earth. According to the Edda,
the great Nordic epic, wine was reserved for the gods, beer
belonged to mortals and mead to inhabitants of the realm of the
dead. Baking bread and brewing beer were the work of women in the
first centuries after the birth of Christ and remained so until
the Middle Ages.


-----------------------------------------------------------------
© BEER FROM GERMANY is a terramedia project.
All rights reserved.
-----------------------------------------------------------------