Archaeological finds of cuneiform tablets and ashes of various vessels from the period before about 4000 years, reveal that at the beginning of civilization, a fermented juice was highly sought among the inhabitants of Mesopotamia. The beverage was thought to be an early form of beer, but that may not have been the actual fermented beverage according to a German researcher.
However, while many of the over 4000 year old cuneiform documents, record deliveries of emmer wheat, barley or malt to brewers as well as documentation of the distribution. there is little information on the subtleties of the manufacturing process or even recipes for their brew. .According to Damerow, the administrative texts were written for an audience that was familiar with the details of brewing. They were not meant to enlighten the modern reader or other ancient people of these processes.
Credit: © M. Nissen, 1990
In addition, the methods differ for recording information, they differed between the sites and time periods. Moreover, these records and calculations are not based on any uniform numbering system. Rather, the Sumerian bureaucrats used different numbering systems, depending on what they wanted to measure or count.
The common theory of what the Sumerians brewed is faltering, which is based on whether the brewer used Mesopotamia baked flat bread made of barley or emmer to put in their mash. The so-called "Bappir" (Sumerian for "beer bread") recipe was was never recorded in the administrative texts like bread, but was registered in units as well as coarsely ground barley. The records are very standardized, and so little of the use fits a recipe according to Damerow but appears to be an observation of the amount of raw materials that the brewers were allocated from the central administration. The records remained unchanged, in some cases over periods of ten years.
The "Hymn to Ninkasi", a key source for the ancient art of brewing and supplies, for Damerow was not considered reliable information about the components and sequence of the brewing process. This lyrical text from the Old Babylonian period around 1800 BC, is in the form of a mythological poem or song for the glorification of brewing.
Ninkasi is the ancient Sumerian matron goddess of the intoxicating beverage, beer. Her father was Enki, the lord Nudimmud, and her mother was Ninti, the queen of the Abzu. She is also one of the eight children created in order to heal one of the eight wounds that Enki receives. Furthermore, she is the goddess of alcohol. She was also borne of "sparkling fresh water." She is the goddess made to "satisfy the desire" and "sate the heart." She would prepare the beverage daily.
Scholarly works from the early 1800's onward have developed some facility translating the various Sumerian documents. Among these is a poem with the English title, “A hymn to Ninkasi”. The poem is, in effect, a recipe for the making of beer. A translation from the University of Oxford describes combining bread, a source for yeast, with malted and soaked grains and keeping the liquid in a fermentation vessel until finally filtering it into a collecting vessel.
According to Damerow, despite the elaborate versification the hymn, it did not conclusively show the procedure of the brewing process, . Thus, they provide only one incomplete sequence of individual steps. For example, specifications are missing, like if the germination of grain was stopped at the right time. The assumption that the barley was stacked in piles for heating and drying, when expulsion of the bacteria was terminated or when the grain sprouts were the right size, remains speculative.
But apart from the two basic ingredients, barley and emmer - a wheat variety - in the Sumerian clay pots the manner of making the beverage is largely unknown. Despite the wealth of artefacts and traditions which point to early preferences for a beverage made from fermented grain, it is difficult to reconstruct the old methods of brewing, according to science historian and cuneiform expert Peter Damerow of the Max-Planck-Institute for History of Science in Berlin.
In an article by Damerow, which dealt extensively with the beer brewing technology of the Sumerians, he expressed great doubts as to whether highly popular brew of the ancient world in the could have been a beer. Damerow died in late November 2011 in Berlin.
However, while many of the over 4000 year old cuneiform documents, record deliveries of emmer wheat, barley or malt to brewers as well as documentation of the distribution. there is little information on the subtleties of the manufacturing process or even recipes for their brew. .According to Damerow, the administrative texts were written for an audience that was familiar with the details of brewing. They were not meant to enlighten the modern reader or other ancient people of these processes.
Archaic tablet from Mesopotamia (approx. 3000 BC):
written in early cuneiform the tablet belongs to the oldest written records of the earth. It contains the calculations of raw materials required for the production of various cereal products, including different kinds of beer and fermented beverages.
In addition, the methods differ for recording information, they differed between the sites and time periods. Moreover, these records and calculations are not based on any uniform numbering system. Rather, the Sumerian bureaucrats used different numbering systems, depending on what they wanted to measure or count.
The common theory of what the Sumerians brewed is faltering, which is based on whether the brewer used Mesopotamia baked flat bread made of barley or emmer to put in their mash. The so-called "Bappir" (Sumerian for "beer bread") recipe was was never recorded in the administrative texts like bread, but was registered in units as well as coarsely ground barley. The records are very standardized, and so little of the use fits a recipe according to Damerow but appears to be an observation of the amount of raw materials that the brewers were allocated from the central administration. The records remained unchanged, in some cases over periods of ten years.
The "Hymn to Ninkasi", a key source for the ancient art of brewing and supplies, for Damerow was not considered reliable information about the components and sequence of the brewing process. This lyrical text from the Old Babylonian period around 1800 BC, is in the form of a mythological poem or song for the glorification of brewing.
Ninkasi is the ancient Sumerian matron goddess of the intoxicating beverage, beer. Her father was Enki, the lord Nudimmud, and her mother was Ninti, the queen of the Abzu. She is also one of the eight children created in order to heal one of the eight wounds that Enki receives. Furthermore, she is the goddess of alcohol. She was also borne of "sparkling fresh water." She is the goddess made to "satisfy the desire" and "sate the heart." She would prepare the beverage daily.
Scholarly works from the early 1800's onward have developed some facility translating the various Sumerian documents. Among these is a poem with the English title, “A hymn to Ninkasi”. The poem is, in effect, a recipe for the making of beer. A translation from the University of Oxford describes combining bread, a source for yeast, with malted and soaked grains and keeping the liquid in a fermentation vessel until finally filtering it into a collecting vessel.
According to Damerow, despite the elaborate versification the hymn, it did not conclusively show the procedure of the brewing process, . Thus, they provide only one incomplete sequence of individual steps. For example, specifications are missing, like if the germination of grain was stopped at the right time. The assumption that the barley was stacked in piles for heating and drying, when expulsion of the bacteria was terminated or when the grain sprouts were the right size, remains speculative.
A modern brewery wort coppers. The wort is heated in these containers during the brewing process.
Credit: © pixelio
The contents of the anthem does not quite fit to the results of the Tall Bazi experiment in which scientists attempted to recreate the Sumerian beverage. . With this experiment archaeologists from the Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich had with the Weihenstephan brewery experts of the Technical University of Munich conduct a brewing experiment to reconstruct the ancient brewing processes.
Although they were able to produce in a cold mash method a brew made of barley and emmer, the alcohol content was varied by changing the water content. Yet from the perspective of Damerow he advised other scientists to enjoy this result with caution. What did work under the particular conditions of Tall Bazi, was probably not like what was achieved in Mesopotamia as methods varied with regard to a diversity of local conditions. Actually, the experiment showed only what can occur with modern methods.
Such doubts lead to him eventually to a question he considers to be "far more fundamental": To what extent is it even possible to compare ancient and modern products. "Given the limited knowledge of the Sumerian brewing processes we do not even certain whether the final product contained alcohol at all," wrote Damerow. In fact, it is not certain whether the brew a closer resemblance to the famous Eastern European bread drink kvass than with a beer.
Such doubts lead to him eventually to a question he considers to be "far more fundamental": To what extent is it even possible to compare ancient and modern products. "Given the limited knowledge of the Sumerian brewing processes we do not even certain whether the final product contained alcohol at all," wrote Damerow. In fact, it is not certain whether the brew a closer resemblance to the famous Eastern European bread drink kvass than with a beer.
Kvass, the color of which varies according to the color of the bread used to make it.
Credit: Wikipedia
Nevertheless, he maintains as a researcher the approach used in the Tall Bazi experiment provieded answer that were a good way to open questions on the early history of brewing. "Such interdisciplinary research efforts could also lead to better interpretation of the anthem at Nikasi" said Damerow.
Nevertheless, he maintains as a researcher the approach used in the Tall Bazi experiment provieded answer that were a good way to open questions on the early history of brewing. "Such interdisciplinary research efforts could also lead to better interpretation of the anthem at Nikasi" said Damerow.
Max-Planck-Institute for the History of Science , Berlin
Citation: Damerow, Peter Sumerian Beer: The Origins of Brewing Technology in Ancient Mesopotamia Cuneiform Digital Library Journal 2012:2 ISSN 1540-8779 version: 22 November 2011
Citation: Damerow, Peter Sumerian Beer: The Origins of Brewing Technology in Ancient Mesopotamia Cuneiform Digital Library Journal 2012:2 ISSN 1540-8779 version: 22 November 2011
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