Israel, a brewery 13,000 years ago
Beer might have been born before bread. According to archaeologists, this is what emerges from the discovery made at an archaeological site in Mount Carmel, Israel. In the cave of Raqefet, used by the ancient Natufians – a semi-nomadic people who lived between the Palaeolithic and Neolithic periods – as a burial place, mortars and tools from 13,700 years ago were found. According to researchers, they were used to make beer. This is the oldest tangible evidence of the production of the drink, which could precede the production of bread. From the analysis of residues, the researchers found the presence of wheat, barley, legumes, oats. Since it would testify that already at that time the Natufians possessed advanced cultivation techniques.
