Duffy, P., Cobain, S. and Kavanagh, H. 2014 From Skill to Skill – evidence for medieval brewing at Balbriggan, Co. Dublin. The Journal of Irish Archaeology 22, 59–76. (original) (raw)
Related papers
Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, 2011
In this paper, we discuss specialised ditch structure from the early Iron Age settlement of Eberdingen-Hochdorf (early La Tène Period, fifth-fourth century BC), that contained large numbers of evenly germinated hulled barley grains. This malt appears to be the result of deliberate germination, given the purity of the finds and the associated unusual archaeological structure, which may have been used for germination and/or as a drying kiln for roasting the malt. The Hochdorf malt most probably was produced for the purpose of beer brewing.
Barley Malt and Ale in the Neolithic
1999
"Our prehistoric fathers may have been savages but they were clever and observant ones ... the art and practice of the brewer are founded on empirical observation ... the brewer learned from long experience the conditions not the reasons for success." Quotation from John Tyndall's speech on Fermentation to the Glasgow Science Lectures Association, October 19th, 1876.
Traces of a possible Celtic brewery in Eberdingen-Hochdorf, Kreis Ludwigsburg, southwest Germany
Vegetation History and Archaeobotany, 1996
A large number of weakly germinated hulled barley grains was found during archaeobotanical analyses from the early Celtic settlement excavations at Eberdingen-Hochdorf in southwest Germany (ca. 600 – 400 BC). These grains seem to represent deliberate germination, due to the purity of the find and its unusual archaeological context. The possibility of deliberate malting which could be connected with beer brewing is discussed. Recent germination and charring experiments show that the consistently weak traces of germination on the charred subfossil grains from Hochdorf are enough to indicate malted grains. A comparison of the archaeobotanical remains with the written and archaeological sources shows that evidence of beer brewing from excavations is very scarce. There is practically no clear proof of brewing, while written sources and indirect suggestions are abundant. Neither archaeological finds nor either written or iconographic sources give exact details about the prehistoric brewing technology of the early Celts. The archaeological finds from Hochdorf seem to be the result of deliberate malting of hulled barley for the purpose of Celtic beer brewing.
The Beginnings of Beer: Large Scale Brewing in the European Neolithic and its Implications
2017
Alcohol has been a part of the human diet for millennia, however little analysis has been done on the origins of large-scale production, specifically in Europe. The rise of agriculture in Europe during the Neolithic revolution brought about a greater availability of food and the allowance for specialized skills. Naturally, one of these skills was that of brewing. Examining four different sites from Neolithic Europe, correlations and connections are made to suggest possibilities of the cultural role of alcohol in its production, consumption, and ritualization.
Botanical evidence of malt for beer production in fifth–seventh century Uppåkra, Sweden
Archaeological and anthropological Sciences, 2018
The excavation of a low-temperature kiln structure at an affluent Iron Age regional center, Uppåkra, located in southern Sweden, revealed from archeobotanical samples and its context evidence of malting in the process to make beer. Carbonized germinated hulled barley grain (Hordeum vulgare) was recovered from the kiln structure itself and from the surrounding occupational surface. Located somewhat from the central area of the site, where previous excavations have uncovered hall-buildings, a ceremonial structure, and several smaller houses, the investigated kiln was situated in an area on the site that is absent of remains to indicate a living quarter. Activities using kilns have instead primarily been linked to this area and archeological finds are mainly of charred crops remains. In this paper, we argue that the germination of grain was deliberate and that the kiln was used to stop the germination process by drying or roasting the grain. If the malting process for large-scale beer production was carried out at a designated area of the site is discussed, as well as if this activity area was part of a structural organization observed elsewhere on the settlement.
PLOS One, 2020
The detection of direct archaeological remains of alcoholic beverages and their production is still a challenge in the archaeological sciences, as most of the markers known up to now are either not durable or diagnostic enough to be used as secure prove. The current study addresses this question by experimental work reproducing the malting processes and subsequent charring of the resulting products under laboratory conditions in order to simulate their preservation (by charring) in archaeological contexts and to explore the preservation of microstructural alternations of the involved cereal grains. The experimentally germinated and charred grains showed clearly degraded (thinned) aleurone cell walls. The histological alternations of the cereal grains were observed and quantified using reflected light and scanning electron microscope as well as corresponding morphometric and statistical software. In order to verify the experimental observations of histological alternations, amorphous charred objects (ACO) containing cereal remains originating from five archaeological sites dating to the 4th millennium BCE were considered: Two of these sites are archaeologically recognisable brewing installations from Predynastic Egypt, while the three roughly contemporary central European lakeshore settlements lack such specific context of the analysed cereal-based food remains. The aleurone cell wall thinning known from food technological research and observed in our own experimental material was indeed also recorded in the archaeological finds. The Egyptian materials derive from beer production with certainty, supported by the ample contextual and artefactual data. The Neolithic lakeshore settlement finds currently represent the oldest traces of malting in central Europe, while the bowl-shaped bread-like object possibly even points towards early beer production in central Europe. One major further implication of our study is that the cell wall breakdown in the grain’s aleurone layer can be used as a general marker for malting processes with relevance for a wide range of charred archaeological finds of cereal products.
Barley, Malt & Ale in the Neolithic Near East, 10,000-5000 BC
Press release for the BAAS Festival, University of Leicester, 2002
The Press Release answers a specific set of questions posed by the BAAS - British Association for the Advancement of Science. There follows an outline of the presentation, which was done in the old fashioned way, with slides and overheads. I discussed the grain drying ovens at Jarmo, c7000 BC, the smooth plaster floors and the possibility that they could have been used as malting floors. Making malt and brewing beer from the grain was, perhaps, discovered in the Epi Palaeolithic by Natufian people over 10,000 years ago.
Archaeologies: Journal of the World Archaeological Congress, 2020
Beer is not only a favourite drink for many archaeologists, but is increasingly the subject of their research. Brewing and beer consumption have played a significant role in prehistoric human cultures around the world. Beer was a tasty, nutritious food, a substance affecting the mind, medicine, a religious symbol, as well as a social medium and an accelerator. Alcohol relieved the pain and prevented the spread of infection. Beer was a safe and healthy drink compared to contaminated water. At the time when our ancestors began to domesticate agricultural crops, they commonly produced not only bread but also beer. It is probable that the first ceramic vessels in the Near East were created precisely out of the need to more effectively control the technological process of beer production. Similarly, in the Central European Copper Age, beer production and its growing social significance influenced the emergence of the set Ceramic complex that lasted continuously for more than three millennia. Beer has entered almost all aspects of social life, from everyday consumption and social interactions to initiation ceremonies and major religious celebrations. The study of beer and other fermented beverages sheds light on many aspects of the biocultural development of humans on this planet. ________________________________________________________________ Re´sume´ de recherche: Arche´ologies: La bie`re n’est pas seulement la boisson favorite de nombreuses arche´ologues mais elle devient de manie`re croissante le sujet de leur recherche. Le brassage et la consommation de bie`re ont joue´ un roˆle significatif dans les cultures humaines pre´historiques a` travers le monde. La bie`re e´tait un aliment savoureux et nourrissant, une substance alte´rant l’esprit, un me´dicament, un symbole religieux de meˆme qu’un outil et un acce´le´rateur social. L’alcool soulageait la douleur, empeˆchait la propagation de l’infection. La bie`re e´tait une boisson sans danger et saine contrairement a` l’eau contamine´e. A` l’e´poque ou` nosanceˆtres ont commence´ a` maıˆtriser l’agriculture, ils ont couramment produit non seulement du pain mais aussi de la bie`re. Il est probable que les premiers re´cipients en ce´ramique du Proche Orient ont e´te´ cre´e´s pre´cise´ment en raison de la ne´cessite´ de controˆler plus efficacement le processus technologique de production de bie`re. De meˆme, au cours de l’Aˆ ge de cuivre en Europe centrale, la production de bie`re et sa signification sociale croissante ont influe´ sur l’e´mergence de l’ensemble du complexe ce´ramique ayant perdure´ de manie`re continue pendant plus de trois mille´naires. La bie`re a e´te´ inte´gre´e a` presque tous les aspects de la vie sociale, qu’il s’agisse d’une consommation quotidienne et d’interactions sociales ou de ce´re´monies d’initiation et de ce´le´brations religieuses importantes. L’e´tude de la bie`re et d’autres boissons fermente´es apporte un e´clairage sur de nombreux aspects du de´veloppement bioculturel des humains sur cette plane`te. ________________________________________________________________ Resumen: Arqueologı´as: La cerveza no solo es una bebida favorita entre muchos arqueo´logos, sino que cada vez ma´s es el tema de su investigacio´n. La elaboracio´n de cerveza y el consumo de cerveza han jugado un papel importante en las culturas humanas prehisto´ricas de todo el mundo. La cerveza era un alimento sabroso y nutritivo, una sustancia que afectaba la mente, la medicina, un sı´mbolo religioso, ası´ como un medio social y un acelerador. El alcohol aliviaba el dolor, prevenı´a la propagacio´n de la infeccio´n. La cerveza era una bebida segura y saludable en comparacio´n con el agua contaminada. En el momento en que nuestros antepasados comenzaron a domesticar los cultivos agrı´colas, comu´nmente producı´an no solo pan sino tambie´n cerveza. Es probable que los primeros recipientes de cera´mica en el Cercano Oriente se crearon precisamente por la necesidad de controlar ma´s eficazmente el proceso tecnolo´gico de produccio´n de cerveza. Del mismo modo, en la Edad del Cobre de Europa Central, la produccio´n de cerveza y su creciente importancia social influyeron en la aparicio´n del conjunto del Complejo de cera´mica que duro´ continuamente durante ma´s de tres milenios. La cerveza ha entrado en casi todos los aspectos de la vida social, desde el consumo diario y las interacciones sociales hasta las ceremonias de iniciacio´n y las principales celebraciones religiosas. El estudio de la cerveza y otras bebidas fermentadas arroja luz sobre muchos aspectos del desarrollo biocultural de los seres humanos en este planeta. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ KEY WORDS Beer, Neolithic, Copper Age, Social interaction, European identity
A medieval grain-drying kiln in the Upper Coquet valley and its role in food supply
Archaeologia Aeliana, 2023
On the south bank of the River Coquet, three kilometres west of Alwinton, are the remains of a deserted medieval settlement called Linbrig, built on a manor once known as Aldensheles. Among the 20 or so ruined structures on the site is a slumped circular earthwork some 6 m across on the crest of a steep slope leading down to the riverbank. Contiguous to it and at right angles to the river are the ruins of a rectangular building divided into two parts by a cross-wall. Excavation of half of the circular structure and part of the adjacent building confirmed suggestions that the structures formed the remains of a kiln and an attached building. Analysis of deposits from within the cylinder-shaped kiln bowl showed that its function was to dry grain and provided information about the fuel used, the crops handled and the surrounding ecosystem. Radiocarbon dating and pottery confirmed that the kiln was active in the 14th century and thus broadly contemporary with other structures on the Linbrig site investigated by Coquetdale Community Archaeology (CCA). The deposits also suggested that the heat source for the drying process was a fire in the kiln bowl itself, rather than hot air delivered through a flue from a nearby fire. A steep channel leading uphill from the base of the kiln bowl could have acted as a stoke-hole, assisted a draught through the kiln fire, provided warm air for the adjacent building and facilitated the clearance of burnt debris. The drying capacity of the kiln is estimated and compared with the amount of crops that might have been harvested locally. The uses to which the dried grain was put are discussed and its calorific value is assessed against the needs of the local population.
A First Draught: Pitfalls and Potentials in the Archaeological Chemistry of Beer
Chemistry in the Service of Archaeology, 2023
This chapter offers a critical review of previous work on the archaeological chemistry of beer and considers promising avenues for future investigation. After providing an overview of methodological concerns germane to a wide range of potential beer residues, the status of the most commonly used marker, calcium oxalate, is discussed. By considering literature from chemistry, botany, and brewing studies, it is demonstrated that calcium oxalate alone is not sufficiently diagnostic, but that proteomic analysis on potential beerstone residues may offer a more compelling approach. Other studies addressing suites of compounds used for beer identification are similarly critiqued to illustrate the difficulty of identifying ancient beer using analytical chemistry. The chapter concludes by exploring potential chemical markers that might signify certain beer ingredients, namely markers for certain grains and fermentative cultures. Each marker is subjected to a critical review and, ultimately, we assess whether it is possible to use such markers in tandem with other data points from morpho-technological or archaeobotanical analyses to hypothesize a plausible beer association. Ultimately, we stress the need for multidisciplinary communication and increased experimental work with both replica and ethnographic materials to better understand the creation, preservation, transformation, and degradation of the various residues associated with beer.