Oldest Mass-Production Brewery Site Found in Egypt

Who would have thought that the world's oldest mass-production brewery would be found in Egypt? Well, archaeologists have known about it for quite some time but could not pinpoint its exact location. But finally, they did find it at Abydos funerary site in southern Egypt.

The country's tourism ministry said on Saturday that archaeologists were able to find the oldest mass-production brewery that is believed to be over 5,000 years old.

In a statement released by the ministry of tourism on its Facebook page, the brewery was found at North Abydos, Sohag by a joint team of Egyptian-American team, containing several "units" of about 40 earthware pots that are arranged in two rows.

World's Oldest Mass-Production Brewery

Phys.org reported that the brewery is likely to have dated back during the era of King Namer. The secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities of Egypt, Mostafa Waziry, said that this is believed to be the "oldest high-production brewery in the world."

King Namer ruled about 5,000 years ago and was credited as the founder of the First Dynasty who unified Upper and Lower Egypt.

Although its exact location was only found until now, British archaeologists have already discovered its existence at the beginning of the 20th century. With the joint efforts of the Egyptian-American team, the team was able to relocate and uncover the contents of the world's oldest mass-production brewery.

There were about eight large areas that each contained 40 earthware pots arranged in two rows used as storage for units for beer production, Waziry said.

He added that beer production at that time involved a mixture of grains and water that was heated in the vats. Levers made of clay are placed vertically in the form of rings to hold each basin in place.

Specifically Built to Supply Royal Rituals

Dr. Matthew Adams of New York University, who headed the joint archaeological mission, said that studies have shown that the beer was produced on a large scale of about 22,400 liters.

He added that it might be that the brewery was "built in this place specifically to supply the royal rituals that were taking place inside the funeral facilities of the kings of Egypt," ScienceAlert reported.

The team found evidence of using beer in sacrificial rites during the excavation of the site. Also, they found some evidence on beer-making in Egypt before. These past discoveries have shed light on the reasons for such beer production.

The team found pottery used by Egyptians 5,000 years ago as well in the building site in Tel Aviv, according to the 2015 report of the Israeli Antiquities Authority.

The brewery was found in Abydos, a place that has yielded many treasures over the years and famed for its temples, like the Seti I.

For example, American archaeologists found in 2000 the earliest known example of an ancient Egyptian solar barge in the area which is believed to be 5,000 years old.

In the past months, Egypt has announced some discoveries that will hopefully spur tourism to the country, which was gravely affected since the 2011 uprising and the coronavirus pandemic.

Check out for more news and information on Ancient Egypt at Science Times.