Tales of Ancient Beer Trivia Quiz

Answer: Sumerians

A well-respected profession in ancient Sumer, beer making was the only occupation that had patron deities. While there is evidence that beer was produced in what is now Iran as long as 7,000 years ago, in Mesopotamia the oldest known proof is thought to date back 6,000 years ago.

It is a tablet that shows people drinking a beverage through straws, which were used to avoid husks and other solids left from the fermentation process. Since most cereal grain that contains certain sugars can undergo fermentation on its own, it was not necessary to learn how to brew from other people.

Historical resources show differing opinions as to how brewing came to ancient Egypt.

Answer: Osiris

Grain was sacred to Osiris, who was the god of farming and the Nile before he became the god of the dead. The ancient Egyptians believed that as a gift to mankind and symbol of life after death, grain sprang out of the mummy of Osiris. While some sources claim that Ra, the sun god, invented beer, Osiris originally taught the Egyptians how to brew it.

Answer: Tjenenet

It is believed that Tjenenet, the goddess of brewing and beer, gained her name from the ancient Egyptian word "tenemu", which means beer. Normally depicted as a woman wearing the symbol of a cow's uterus on her head, she was also one of the goddesses associated with childbirth; in particular she was the protector of the uterus for pregnant women.

The model of workers in a brewery in the picture was found in the tomb of Menketre, who was a government official during the reign of Mentuhotep II during the 11th Dynasty.

Answer: Barley

There were many types of beer in ancient Egypt. While most were made from barley, they were flavored with different ingredients, such as ginger, honey, coriander seeds, and dates. Lily seeds and roots, as well as tiger nuts were also used for making beer. It has been suggested that the best beers brewed in ancient Egypt were blood red.

Answer: Beer was consumed by everyone in Egyptian society.

The consumption of beer was an important part of every ancient Egyptian's daily diet. It was an important source of protein, minerals, and vitamins. With a consistency of gruel, it was very nutritious. Along with bread, it was a staple of every class of people, and was part of a typical meal that could also include onions and dried fish for a commoner.

Answer: True

The beer consumed daily is described as being almost non-alcoholic. It replaced water that workers and slaves lost through perspiration, and provided food energy in the form of carbs. It was part of what the Egyptians considered a healthy diet.

Answer: False

During certain religious festivals it was common for people to drink more intoxicating beer in the temple, which they believed could bring on religious ecstasy, linking them with heaven. It was considered common etiquette for worshipers to drink until they were intoxicated. The wealthy would take slaves and a litter with them so they could sleep it off on the way home!

Answer: Hathor

Hathor, the daughter of Re and Nut, was associated with many areas. She was one of the goddesses who protected women in childbirth; as the "eye of Re" she watched over mankind. As goddess of fertility and moisture she was connected with the annual flooding of the Nile, and she ruled the month of Athyr, from September 17 (her birthday) to October 16, which was the third month of flood season. During this time she became the goddess of love, lust, joy, and dancing. People drank her beer, viewed as an aphrodisiac, with mandrake bark causing a narcotic effect. Hathor is not only depicted as a cow, but also a woman wearing a headdress of cow's horns, and as a woman with the ears of a cow.

Answer: Women

As was the case in ancient Mesopotamia, the making of beer was seen as a woman's job, although it was not an occupation exclusive to women. Much of the beer was made in the home. However, temple breweries were big business and could generate a lot of income.

In fact, Cleopatra is said to have instituted the first known alcohol tax in the world. While she said the purpose was to curb public drunkenness, she really needed the money to finance wars.

Answer: Wages were sometimes paid in beer.

Although the process used by ancient Egyptians has been studied and analyzed, no recipe for beer-making has ever been found. Hops were not used, making Egyptian beer sweeter than beer today. Of course, beer crocks were included in tombs to insure that the dead would not be thirsty on their way to the afterlife. Ancient Egyptians used beer as a currency, and its use as a wage was strictly regulated.

The daily ration of slaves who built the pyramids was recorded as being two or three loaves of bread a day and two crocks of beer; an officer of the guard got 20 loaves of bread and two crocks.

In a wedding contract with pharaoh it was found that a queen's allotment was two crocks a beer each day along with ten loaves of bread. A princess received ten loaves a day, but only received one crock of beer.