A find that allows you to review the history of the beer
In September last year, archaeologists from Stanford University found traces of beer on stone mortars aged from 11,700 to 13,700 years in the Rakefet cave near the Israeli city of Haifa. Today it is the oldest evidence of brewing.
The authors clarify that the remains of starch grains and phytoliths, microscopic plant particles were found on the dishes.
The finding proves that the representatives of the Natufian culture (hunters and gatherers, who lived in the era of epipaleolithic in the eastern Mediterranean) were well acquainted with the production of beer. In addition, this may be a new confirmation of the theory that beer appeared in the diet of Natufians before bread, and even became one of the reasons that led them to go to agriculture.
For comparison: the oldest samples of bread are crumbs, found during excavations in the Black Desert of Jordan. Their age can range from 11,600 to 14,600 years. And the transition to agriculture in different regions occurred from 10,000 to 12,000 years ago.
Natufiyskoe beer should have been very different from the modern: the consistency rather resembled liquid porridge. Researchers believe that the ancient people used a three-stage technology of brewing. First, wheat or barley seeds were germinated in water. Then the resulting malt was dried, ground and heated. After that, he was left to roam.
To test the theory, the authors have already tried to brew beer according to this recipe and analyzed the changes in starch grains. According to them, the result is similar to the traces that they found on the Natufi ware.
The authors clarify that the remains of starch grains and phytoliths, microscopic plant particles were found on the dishes.
The finding proves that the representatives of the Natufian culture (hunters and gatherers, who lived in the era of epipaleolithic in the eastern Mediterranean) were well acquainted with the production of beer. In addition, this may be a new confirmation of the theory that beer appeared in the diet of Natufians before bread, and even became one of the reasons that led them to go to agriculture.
Photo © focus.ua
For comparison: the oldest samples of bread are crumbs, found during excavations in the Black Desert of Jordan. Their age can range from 11,600 to 14,600 years. And the transition to agriculture in different regions occurred from 10,000 to 12,000 years ago.
Natufiyskoe beer should have been very different from the modern: the consistency rather resembled liquid porridge. Researchers believe that the ancient people used a three-stage technology of brewing. First, wheat or barley seeds were germinated in water. Then the resulting malt was dried, ground and heated. After that, he was left to roam.
To test the theory, the authors have already tried to brew beer according to this recipe and analyzed the changes in starch grains. According to them, the result is similar to the traces that they found on the Natufi ware.
