Social Beer Drinking Evidence Found In 7,000-Year-Old Town

Israeli archaeologists at a dig in the Jordan Valley have discovered what they claim is the oldest evidence of social beer drinking.

Here’s the deal….

According to the Drinks Business “Researchers have discovered the first evidence of social beer consumption in the ancient Middle East, after finding the remains of cereal grains used to produce alcohol in a 7,000-year-old town.”

Archaeologists from the University of Haifa have discovered the residue from wheat and barley grains in ancient pottery in Tel Tsaf, a town dating back to the Chalcolithic era, from around 5000 BCE (a secular version of BC –Before Christ).

Beer was used in ancient times for ceremonial and religious purposes. But according to the researchers, this is the earliest indication of social drinking prior to the widespread appearance of alcohol in the Bronze Age, (3300 BCE).

When studied under a microscope, the ancient cereal grains showed signs of fermentation, pointing to their use in alcohol production,

University of Haifa Professor Danny Rosenberg said the evidence of alcohol production links to “the evidence we’ve previously uncovered of Tel Tsaf’s prosperity, expressed in its accumulation of agricultural produce, and particularly cereal, in large quantities.”

The Israeli researchers imagine Tsaf’s community holding large-scale events with food and beer being consumed in a social context, not just a ceremonial one.

In 2014 Rosenberg participated in a study, which found evidence of beer production from 14,000 years ago at a burial site located near Mount Carmel. However, they concluded that beer was only used as part of the burial rituals.

“It’s unknown at the moment whether the beer whose remnants we found in Tel Tsaf was produced on a regular basis or specifically for major social events,” Rosenberg added…

“We hope that in the near future, when we can isolate further evidence of beer production at the site and at other sites, we will be able to better understand the role of alcohol in ancient societies, and particularly in those on the cusp of significant changes in their social structure as they become more and more complex.”

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