Beer in Ancient Times
Writing gave rise to history, and it is in this early period known as Antiquity that we find the first records of beer production. It was the first civilizations that left written testimony of this drink. We must go back to Sumer and Egypt to find the earliest depictions of beer.
It is on Sumerian tablets that the words “kas” and “sikaru” appear, meaning beer, although they can also be translated as “intoxicating drink.” Because of the psychotropic effects of alcohol, beer was linked to the spiritual world. Among these tablets, the Hymn to Ninkasi, the Sumerian goddess of beer, has been preserved. These ancient peoples used beer as a magical medicine for the sick and for divine purposes. It was so important that they even used it as currency.
We also find cylinder seals in Sumeria that show several members of royalty and nobility drinking beer from a large vessel through long straws. In the case of people belonging to the upper echelons of society, these straws were richly decorated with metals and precious stones.
Even the Code of Hammurabi regulated this drink in Babylon to preserve order. For example, it established the amount of grain a tavern keeper should receive in exchange for a given volume of beer. The code also provided punishments for those who produced low-quality beer.
We travel back to Ancient Egypt to explore malting techniques. After germinating and drying the grain, they mixed the watery mash with honey and fruits such as dates to achieve a high alcohol content. In fact, there were many different recipes and beer qualities—around 20 types. As a result, the consumption of a particular beer style indicated social and personal status. Some categories of beer were used as offerings to the gods in temples and accompanied the dead at funerals. This is reflected in inscriptions at the entrances of some buildings.
Our drink was called “heneket” in Ancient Egypt and was linked to the god Osiris, who had the power of regeneration and ensured the harvests and the flooding of the Nile. According to the hieroglyphs, brewing beer was a task carried out by women. We also know this thanks to the models found in tombs that depict the brewing process in detail.
Since it is a food made from cereals, the lower classes also consumed it and it was a staple of the diet, just as bread is today. In fact, unlike modern beer, Egyptian beer was thick. It had more in common with porridge than with the pints at the bar, although sometimes it was also filtered.
When we think about beer in Antiquity, we have to think of civilizations whose main staple was grain. Brewing beer allowed them to preserve surplus grain, as they were sedentary societies that practiced agriculture. Besides providing nourishment, drinking beer helped prevent diseases caused by drinking contaminated water. Brewing beer was a way to stabilize, disinfect and preserve cereal production.
