In his article “Inebriation and the Early State: Beer and the Politics of Affect in Mesopotamia” (Journal of Anthropological Archaeology 63:2), Tate Paulette stated, “The more we look for alcoholic beverages in the deep past, the more that we find them.” Paulette has continued the search and has provided a wealth of information in this book for both scholars and the general public about the role of beer in ancient Mesopotamia. In the Land of Ninkasi is thoroughly researched, is well written, and resonates with the reader via a vivid archaeological imagination while acknowledging the gaps in our knowledge. Paulette writes as an archaeologist, but his interest and experience in the brewing process informs the organization of this book.

The book is organized in seven broadly thematic chapters. Chapter 1 succinctly summarizes the archaeological history of beer globally and sets up the author’s argument well. Paulette reminds the reader that archaeology and Assyriology cannot provide all the answers to the questions that we have, and that we should “embrace the uncertainty” (p. 16). It is in that uncertainty that the most intriguing questions lie and in which Paulette has effectively applied archaeological storytelling. Chapter 2 presents a brief introduction to the geographic and historical periods discussed in the subsequent chapters. It also quickly outlines the role that beer played in Mesopotamian sociopolitical development.

Paulette begins his commentary on beer in ancient Mesopotamia in earnest in chapter 3, with detailed discussion of the types of beers and their ingredients brewed across nearly three millennia of Mesopotamian history. He is thorough and authoritative, but he also acknowledges ambiguities and debates in translating cuneiform into a modern context. This is best exemplified in his discussion of bappir, a key brewing ingredient that has sparked intense scholarly debate. Chapter 4 focuses on brewing technologies and techniques. Here, Paulette adeptly outlines the ways that knowledge of European brewing techniques can muddy the waters of interpretation about ancient brewing practices. Paulette excels in translating the cuneiform documentation to the archaeological record of brewing assemblages. He uses lingering questions about the textual sources to highlight the importance of identifying functional uses of ceramic and metal vessels that are thought to have been part of brewing assemblages. At the same time, through his tongue-in-cheek tone and his embrace of uncertainty, he highlights the struggles that archaeologists have in pinpointing function in artifact assemblages in a lighthearted and effective manner.

Chapter 5 explores the loci of beer production, highlighting the critical roles of state-sponsored breweries as well as the domestic production of beer, as known from archaeological and documentary sources. He opens this chapter with an imaginary tour of a brewery at Tell al-Hiba that envisions the activities undertaken here before the structure was destroyed by a fire near the end of the Early Dynastic IIb period, circa 2400 BC. This is effective storytelling and integrates the discussions of beer ingredients and brewing technology. At the same time, as Paulette makes clear, imagination is needed due to the paucity of archaeological evidence for the types of large-scale brewing facilities and taverns attested in the cuneiform record. Chapter 6 discusses how ancient Mesopotamian people drank beer. This chapter covers a lot of terrain, including the way beer was consumed and the social norms governing who could drink beer. Chapter 7 ties the narrative together nicely in discussing the experience of drinking beer in ancient Mesopotamia. Paulette begins this chapter with Sumerian origin stories that allegorically highlight the potency of beer to facilitate social interaction, and that note the perils of overconsumption. This thread builds on Paulette’s previous work and emphasizes the social nature of beer consumption across a wide range of contexts. This chapter also addresses the real consequences of beer consumption, including inebriation and the kinds of regrettable decisions it can encourage or enable. It is in this chapter that Mesopotamian beer becomes most tangible and relatable to the modern world.

An epilogue and appendix provide great information for the curious home brewer and the aspiring experimental archaeologist. In discussing reflections on how to brew Mesopotamian beer experimentally and commercially, Paulette effectively models how to navigate the uncertainty of the archaeological record. This academically rigorous yet accessible book—at times irreverent but always curious and thought provoking—will stimulate more research questions than it answers. In this respect, it succeeds admirably in moving scholarship on beer production and consumption forward, both in ancient Mesopotamia and elsewhere.