Scholars and beer historians have been awaiting a book-length examination of humanity’s first beer cultures, and P.’s book does not disappoint. While the text is essential for scholars of ancient alcohol, the authorial tone is inviting and draws an audience of beer enthusiasts and brewers. Ancient beer is a relative newcomer to modern academia. As such, few titles are solely dedicated to the study of ancient beer production in an isolated region or time frame. This study surveys beer production in Mesopotamian Bronze and Iron Age cultures c. 3000–539 bce. To do this, P. explores the cultural role of beer in these early societies as preserved on ancient cuneiform tablets. A systematic analysis is then undertaken of raw materials, equipment and facilities used in brewing throughout Mesopotamia. The final portion of the book looks at beer consumption by answering who drank beer and what the intended experience was for the consumer. The book presents a fluid narrative, but readers are left with just as many questions as answers in the end. However, that is the mission P. establishes. From the beginning, he makes it clear that there are just as many unknowns as there are knowns. The goal is to paint a flowing picture of Mesopotamian beer and brewing that highlights certainties and pinpoints uncertainties sparking further analysis and research in the field. P. does not assert that he knows all about Mesopotamian brewing because no one does. P. unerringly establishes respect and credibility with this candid approach, and his expertise on the topic is unparalleled.
The prologue invites a broad audience with a personal story of archaeological discovery, the intertwined topics of beer and sex on a 4,500-year-old cylinder seal and P.’s experience brewing ancient beer in the ‘Enkibru’ project with the University of Chicago and Great Lakes Brewing Company. Chapter 1 introduces the newest evidence and debates for the beginnings of beer with particular emphasis on the Natufians and the sites of Göbekli Tepė and Raqefet Cave. This chapter also speculates on experimentation in brewing processes and technologies employed by the first brewers. Chapter 2 narrows the focus. We begin with the famous tale of how beer makes Enkidu human in the Epic of Gilgamesh. The discussion quickly shifts to the contrasting landscapes and resources in Northern and Southern Mesopotamia, which ensured a wide range of beer products by the time the poem was written. The morphology of beer in cuneiform is further analysed, highlighting beer’s importance economically and socially within the numerous communities of the region.
Following this broad perspective, Chapters 3 and 4 dive into the heart of the matter. What was Mesopotamian beer, and how was it made? Setting the stage, P. invents a semi-fictitious narrative around a brewer named Kushim in the Eanna precinct at Uruk (c. 3200–3000 bce). This starts the discussion and debate for what ingredients were used in brewing. The plot thickens on the topic of bappir. Though regularly referenced in Mesopotamian brewing, the definition of bappir is not agreed upon by scholars. P. presents a comprehensive list of theories, concluding that it was likely inconsistent from brewery to brewery. Readers are also challenged to ignore preconceptions of modern beer produced with Saccharomyces cervisiae. This yeast drives flavour and aroma in most beers produced today, but the yeast and bacteria of Mesopotamian beers are unknown. The chapter concludes with the many known varieties of beer in ancient Mesopotamia demonstrating the importance of beer quality. This effectively discredits the longstanding assumption that ancient beer was unpleasant and consumed only for survival.
Digging deeper, Chapter 4 examines the process and technology behind Mesopotamian brewing. This chapter is the longest in the book and for good reasons. P. turns to the architecture and artefact record for brewing answers. Because ancient recipes and brewing manuals do not exist, archaeologists must analyse and hypothesise the purpose of rooms, features and equipment in ancient breweries. P. explains that distinguishing beer-brewing from wine-making or food-processing can be nearly impossible. The Hymn to Ninkasi is meticulously deconstructed to demonstrate that it is not a recipe but the description of a brewing process. The chapter then provides an impressive survey of known brewing equipment from Sumerian and Akkadian records. The true purpose for many of these items is still uncertain, and P. chooses one vessel to highlight the numerous debates revolving around equipment function. The focus is on the Lochbodengefässe or ‘vessels-with-a-hole-in-the-bottom’. This anecdote is compelling and comedic, and it ultimately proves how so many aspects of ancient brewing are left unanswered.
Chapter 5 bridges the gap from brewing technology to beer culture. While surveying the possibilities for brewery locations, P. concedes that the only confirmed brewery thus far exists in ancient Girsu. Beautifully illustrated walking tours of other likely brewery complexes are presented (e.g. the Bagara Complex at Tell al-Hiba), but P. considers breweries a part of the archaeologically invisible or unfortunately misidentified. The discussion turns to taverns and evidence for on-premises beer production. The latter half of the chapter discusses male vs. female brewers and tavern keepers, the social function of the taverns, and what patrons were permitted. Where women typically acted as the tavern keepers, the mixed employment of men and women in home and industrial brewing cannot be ignored.
The last two chapters focus on beer culture. Chapter 6 surveys drinking practices and the social hierarchy of beer drinking. The Royal Cemetery of Ur and Puabi’s Tomb act as an introductory catalyst for this discussion. This chapter is the most impressively illustrated with a wealth of artefact images, sketches, maps and burial plans. The chapter includes a long discussion about drinking straws and beer cups in art and artefact records. Most memorable and unanswerable are the coitus a tergo drinking scenes. P. proves that beer consumption was a mixed gender affair, and no age restrictions existed for beer consumption either. Bringing the argument full circle, Chapter 7 seeks to highlight the prestigious nature of beer in Mesopotamia. Inebriation and the effects of beer consumption are surveyed in divine stories of manipulation, ancient medical discussions of impotence, dehydration and alcoholism, the jovial stories of beer as a social lubricant and the bleaker stories where beer consumption is the catalyst for disputes, riots and criminal activities. Thus, P. rightfully challenges the long-held belief that ancient beer was extremely low in alcohol. In the end, readers are inspired to reflect on how we in the modern world are connected to the distant past through the lens of Mesopotamian beer and brewing.
P.’s book significantly contributes to the academic conversation of beer’s role in human history. The text is a must-read for scholars of ancient alcohol production. Simultaneously, the author’s voice is wonderfully approachable, and the book has wide appeal. It would serve well as a textbook for culinary history courses. Modern brewers and beer enthusiasts will also devour this book with great enthusiasm. The wide range of readership is critical to driving the study forward. P. hopes to inspire further study; he emphasises this in the epilogue when discussing the importance of experimental archaeology. The book effectively employs comedy and imaginative anecdotes to connect readers to the distant past and to demonstrate the human connection we have to ancient Mesopotamia. The extensive endnotes and bibliography further emphasise the level of research employed, and the numerous images and maps keep the material nature of this topic vivid. The only minor critique concerns the indexing, which is relatively slim for quick reference. In the end, P. succeeds in opening the door wider for the study of ancient beer. As he asserts, ‘You can be sure that there will be new discoveries, new insights, and more beer around the bend’ (p. 263).
