The ‘Industrial-Scale’ Brewery is located in an ancient necropolis, North Abydos.
24th February, 2021 Archaeologists from Egypt and the US have found the world’s oldest large-scale brewery. Found at a cemetery, in North Abydos. It is about 5,000 years old. Yet, the brewery can produce about 5,900 gallons or 24,000 litres of beer at a time!
Probably, the construction of the Brewery took place during King Narmer’s reign. He ruled ancient Egypt in between 3150 B.C and 2613 B.C. Also, the evidences claim that the people used the beer in sacrificial rites! Egyptians were one of the first civilizations to master the art of making beer- historians claim.
The Structure of the Brewery
The world’s oldest ‘large-scale’ brewery comprises eight units. They are large areas for beer production. Each unit is 20 metres in length and 2.5 metres in width. Further, every unit has 40 earthenware pots. Arrangement of the pots inside the units is in two rows. Conclusively, the people made the beer in these pots. They mixed the grains and water. Later, they heated the mixture to produce the beer.
The Expedition
Matthew Adams is an archaeologist at New York University, and the joint expedition leader. According to him, the brewery would have been built, specially, to supply the royal rituals. The rituals that were taking place inside the funeral facilities of the kings of Egypt. He said this while giving a statement for the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. British archaeologist T. Eric Peet, had investigated the site more than a century ago. He thought that it was a system for drying grains to guard against rot. After further excavations and explorations, the archaeologists realized it as a Brewery!
Beer: Its Importance during the time
Fermentation of the grain was probably accidental. It could have happened while the people tried to store wild grains. So, Beer wasn’t an invention. Rather, it was a chance discovery! However, for Egyptians, beer production was a choice. They might have loved to consume it in great quantities. Like, the workers who built the Pyramids of Giza. They needed beer in huge quantities, for the enormous labor they did. However, the archaeologists discovered the Brewery in Abydos. It is the necropolis of ancient Egypt. Necropolis is a place to bury the dead(cemetery). Abydos is filled with ancient monuments that honor Osiris. People believed that he is the god of the underworld. Just as other faiths have Hades, Acheron or Yamraja. Hence, Osiris is responsible for judging souls, in the afterlife.
Author– Apexa Rai
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Featured Image Credit- Egypt uncovers possible ‘world’s oldest brewery’ in ancient city – ABC News
