Archeologists Discover World's First Microbrewery That Is 13,000 Years Old in a Cave in Israel

Archeologists have possibly stumbled on the world's first brewery in Israel. The evidence was found in a cave used as a graveyard by a group of people known as Natufians in the Stone Age, Live Science reported. This made researchers speculate that the world's first known alcoholic beverage was made during an individual's funeral. Findings related to the alcohol discovery in Israel have been published in the Journal of Archaeological Science.

The site where the discovery was made is the Raqefet Cave, which was found in 1956, Smithsonian Magazine reported. The structure is located near Haifa and over the years has given much valuable information about Natufians. Archeologists have unearthed the remains of 30 individuals along with traces of animal bones, tools, and plant impressions. Examination of all these items along with the site has confirmed that Natufians buried their dead in flower beds. 

In 2018, archeologists uncovered proof of 13,000-year-old brewed beer at the Raqefet Cave, Smithsonian Magazine reported. The evidence made the site the earliest-known production plant of an alcoholic beverage. The alcohol remnants were traced on three stone mortars in the cave.

The mortars contained starch residues and phytolith, both of these microscopic plant particles were essential in transforming wheat and barley into ancient beer, Smithsonian Magazine reported. The discovery is considered remarkable by experts because before these findings beer-making was associated with later agricultural societies. Natufians were a semi-sedentary, foraging people who served as a link between hunter-gatherers and the earliest farming communities.

Before the Raquefet Cave, the earliest known evidence of alcohol came from Northern China. Those alcohol traces were dated to be around 8,000 years old. The finding implies that alcohol could have entered human society during the Stone Age. Furthermore, the fact that the traces were located in a burial cave indicates that alcohol could have had a prominent role in Natufian culture. 

The finding puts into question the age-old assertion that taste for bread drove humans to domesticate cereals, Smithsonian Magazine reported. The alcohol residues in Israel predate the earliest remains of bread found in northeastern Jordan, this implies that such beverages could have also been a pushing factor for cultivating cereals.

According to researchers, the brew enjoyed by the Natufians was considerably different from the present beer, BBC reported. The team involved with the discovery managed to recreate the ancient beer based on their findings in the cave.

As per the study, the researchers first germinated the grain to produce malt which was then mashed with heat. The resultant product was fermented with wild yeast to produce the ancient beer.

Researchers noted that the ancient beer was weaker in strength and impact compared to the modern alternative because of the low alcoholic content.  Experts also observed that ancient beer wasn't clear and appeared more like thin porridge or gruel.