The Israeli Antiquities Authority announced the discovery of 5,000 year old pottery fragments and pits used by Egyptians to make beer, AFP reports.
Discovered on a building site in Tel Aviv, 17 pits were found that had been used as storage in the Early Bronze Age, from 3500 to 3000BC, according to excavation director Diego Barkan. "Among the hundreds of pottery sherds that characterise the local culture, a number of fragments of large ceramic basins were discovered that were made in an Egyptian tradition and were used to prepare beer," he said.
The excavation is noteworthy as it is the first evidence of an "Egyptian occupation" in Tel Aviv's center 5,000 years ago. "This is also the northernmost evidence we have of an Egyptian presence in the early Bronze Age," Barkan said.
The antiquities authority also claimed that beer was the Egyptian national drink and was a staple along with bread. It also said that beer was consumed by the entire population of Egypt, regardless of age, gender or status. "It was made from a mixture of barley and water that was partially baked and then left to ferment in the sun. Various fruit concentrates were added to this mixture in order to flavor the beer," the statement added.
Archaeological evidence from Egypt's Delta region indicates that beer was already being produced as early as the mid-fourth milennium BC, the Israeli authority said.
