Did you know that beers and wines have been the older alcoholic beverages of which there is news? And that there is a theory floating around that claims that both writing and agriculture – perhaps two of humanity’s most important technologies – were born, or invented, thanks to these drinks?
It seems like a joke, but the truth is that alcohol has been present in human life since prehistoric times, which is why we will talk about the oldest beers and wines that have been found.
The oldest beers and wines that have been discovered
China, ancient Egypt, the Vikings, pre-Inca cultures, Sumeria, ancient Greece or the Canaanites are some of the peoples where traces of both beer and wine manufacturing have been found, as well as special sites for their storage. .
In China, in 2004, a group of archaeologists found a site considered today as the oldest breweryin the province of Shanxi, in the north of the country; They found traces of an alcoholic concoction whose base was honey, some type of fruits and rice, dating back at least 5,000 years.
In the first months of 2016, Jiajing Wang and his colleagues at Stanford University published an article reporting on their research: they examined remains of amphorae, glasses, pots and funnels at the Mijaiya site, in Shaanxi, and the evidence indicates that I was trying of instruments for brewing, filtering and storing beer. In the glasses they got a yellow layer that contained fragments of starch and microscopic particles of silica (called phytoliths), which are generated in the husks of cereals – barley, sorghum, coix, millet –, and whose radiocarbon dating places them between 4,900 and 5,000 years old. They also found organic compounds that are produced when cereals are macerated and fermented. That is to say, It was a brewery.
We now go to ancient Egypt, to the dark depths of the tomb of the predynastic king Horus Scorpion I, who ruled around 3200 BC; here the researchers discovered the oldest wine of this nation: They found remains of tree resins and herbs such as coriander, sage and mint with the ancient alcohol. Many of these additives were used for flavor, but others had healing properties.
Alcohol breaks down plant alkaloids and is a perfect vehicle for natural medicines. Archaeologists have known about Egyptian medicinal cocktails thanks to 3,800-year-old papyri, but the wines discovered in this tomb date back a millennium, evidencing their prior to the arrival of Egyptian vineyards.
Another extraordinary discovery, of beers and wines, was made in the highlands of southern Peru, where members of the pre-Inca Huari culture prepared corn beerknown as girl, on a massive scale more than 1,000 years ago. Researchers at the Field Museum in Chicago discovered this factory, where they estimate they could produce thousands of liters of girl per day.
Archaeologists believe that drinking chica was an important part of the politics of this town, which according to records invited officials from remote regions to participate in the festivities of this beer.
Another archaeological find of ancient beer was found at the Sumerian trading post, Godin Tepe, in the Zagros Mountains, that long mountain range that runs from Iraq to Iran. Here they discovered a deposit with abundant storage vessels, with traces of barley beer. As you no doubt know, the Sumerians were one of the most important ancient cultures, where writing was invented. Here the foundations were laid for the development of a complex society, with commerce and irrigation agriculture. Their favorite drink was beer, and Sumerian art often depicts gatherings where people drink from bowls. A super curious fact: the beer pictogram is one of the most common found in Sumerian ruins.
On the other hand, in 2013, a group of archaeologists unearthed ancient ceramics, where they found 6,200-year-old wine residues, in the prehistoric settlement Dikili Tash – or Dikilitas – in Greece. Analysis of the pottery revealed traces of tartaric acid, a byproduct of fermentation.
But little is known about this settlement; It was not until the last excavations that the researchers managed to penetrate deeper levels of the colony, and in the excavation of a 6,200-year-old Neolithic house they came across charred grape seeds and their skin, a sure sign of having pressed the grapes. to prepare wine, making it the oldest European wine.
And if we go to northern Europe, to Scandinavia, we will find incredible data. Archaeologists recently discovered the corpse of a 3,500-year-old woman holding a bronze alcohol strainer. Chemical analysis revealed an ancient concoction made from barley, honey, cranberries, herbs and wines imported from southern Europe – which also demonstrates the commercial exchange that existed even at that time.
This drink is known as grog, Norse alcohol found in vessels and vessels buried in tombs of warriors and priestesses, and probably a drink of the upper class. In 1920 a very well-preserved burial was discovered in Denmark of a young priestess, nicknamed “Egtved Girl”, with a bucket of grog at her feet; In other tombs, wine kits that came from southern Europe were found, associated with women, which for researchers could be evidence that They were in charge of making grog, and who served it to the warriors.
Finally, the oldest known winery is located in the Middle East, specifically in Israel. In this winery, 40 large ceramic vessels were found to store alcoholic beverages; It measured 5 by 8 meters and could hold up to 500 gallons of wine.
This winery was discovered in Tel Kabri, north of Israel, and dates back to 1700 BC. It was part of an extensive palace occupied by the Canaanites, who once controlled Lebanon and Israel. Ancient texts allude to the presence of spiced wines with herbs, but they had never been discovered until now. In 1600 BC, an earthquake destroyed Tel Kabri, burying the winery for millennia. Analysis indicates that many of the wines were preserved and seasoned with resins and herbs, such as juniper, myrtle or mint, making it similar to Greek resin wine.
All this data sheds light on human behavior towards alcohol. Beers and wines have evidently been of notable importance in the societies that preceded us, and prove that since prehistory alcoholic beverages have been used for ritual purposes and, of course, for entertainment.
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