Porridge-like Egyptian Beer Was Used 5,800 Years Ago in Rituals

New research published in the Journal of Anthropological Archaeology has revealed that Egyptian beer was produced and consumed as a staple as well as for ritual purposes as far back as 5,800 years ago. Moreover, Egyptian beer, according to the study, influenced the stratification of Egyptian society as well as the rise of a unified state. The research was conducted by a team of archaeologists headed by Professor Jiajing Wang of Dartmouth University in New Hampshire.

The Egyptian beer study analyzed fragments of pottery found at Hierakonpolis (or Nekhen), an archaeological site in southern Egypt, reports New Scientist. The fragments date to between 3800 and 3600 BC, which was about 600 years before Egypt was united into one state under pharaoh Narmer. Narmer is believed by historians to be the founder of the First Dynasty and the first pharaoh of a unified Egypt.