https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-56067717 BBC Homepage * Skip to content * Accessibility Help * Your account * Home * News * Sport * Reel * Worklife * Travel * Future * More menu More menu Search BBC * Home * News * Sport * Reel * Worklife * Travel * Future * Culture * Music * TV * Weather * Sounds Close menu BBC News Menu * Home * War in Ukraine * Climate * Video * World * US & Canada * UK * Business * Tech * Science More * Entertainment & Arts * Health * In Pictures * BBC Verify * World News TV * Newsbeat * World * Africa * Asia * Australia * Europe * Latin America * Middle East Abydos beer factory: Ancient large-scale brewery discovered in Egypt * Published 15 February 2021 Share close panel Share page Copy link About sharing An undated handout photo made available by the Egyptian Department of Antiquities on 14 February 2021 shows the remains of a brewery uncovered in the ancient city of Abydos at Sohag Governorate in Egypt Image source, EPA Image caption, The find may "be the oldest high-production brewery in the world" Archaeologists in Egypt have unearthed what could be the world's oldest known beer factory, dating back about 5,000 years. A joint Egyptian-American team discovered the brewery in Abydos, an ancient burial ground in the desert. They found a number of units containing about 40 pots used to heat a mixture of grain and water to make beer. The brewery is likely to date back to the era of King Narmer, according to the Supreme Council of Antiquities. It says it believes the find to "be the oldest high-production brewery in the world". King Narmer ruled more than 5,000 years ago. He founded the First Dynasty and is considered to have unified Egypt. * Lost Egyptian artefact found in cigar box * Egyptian mummified animals 'digitally unwrapped' * Egyptian mummification 'recipe' revealed The brewery consisted of eight large areas, each 20m (65ft) long and each containing about 40 earthenware pots arranged in two rows, according to the secretary general of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, Mostafa Waziry. An undated handout photo made available by the Egyptian Department of Antiquities on 14 February 2021 shows the remains of a brewery uncovered in the ancient city of Abydos at Sohag Governorate in Egypt Image source, EPA Image caption, Thousands of gallons of beer are thought to have been produced at the site A mixture of grains and water used for beer production was heated in the vats, with each basin "held in place by levers made of clay placed vertically in the form of rings", he says. The brewery "may have been built in this place specifically to supply the royal rituals that were taking place inside the funeral facilities of the kings of Egypt", an Egyptian tourism ministry statement quoted archaeologist and mission co-head Matthew Adams of New York University as saying. Beer is thought to have been produced on a large scale, with about 22,400 litres (5,000 gallons) made at a time. "Evidence for the use of beer in sacrificial rites was found during excavations in these facilities," the statement said. Abydos is one of the oldest cities of ancient Egypt and houses vast cemeteries and temples. The area is in the southern province of Sohag, in Upper Egypt, also home to the city of Luxor, one of the country's most popular tourist sites. Earlier this month, a mission working near Alexandria discovered several mummies from around 2,000 years ago with golden tongues inside their mouths. 2px presentational grey line You may also be interested in: This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Media caption, Great Pyramid artefact found in Aberdeen cigar box Related Topics * Archaeology * Egypt More on this story * Mummies with golden tongues unearthed in Egypt + Published 2 February 2021 Remains of ancient Egyptian mummy with golden tongue placed inside its mouth, found at Alexandria's Taposiris Magna temple * Lost Egyptian artefact found in cigar box + Published 16 December 2020 Wood fragments * The women who love mummies + Published 2 February 2019 Mummy case at Macclesfield museums * Ancient city is discovered in Egypt + Published 24 November 2016 Picture shows what has been described as a grave in a city unearthed in the southern of the country that has been described as more than 5,000 years old. Top Stories * Hollywood strike could last until 'end of the year' + Published 32 minutes ago * Architect held in Long Island serial killer case + Published 56 minutes ago * The Black Mirror plot about AI that worries actors + Published 6 hours ago Features * Inside El Salvador's secretive mega-jail Prisoners in El Salvador's Cecot jail * Weekly quiz: Which Hollywood star was in the driving seat? Formula 1 car * Spain's bull run tackles sexual assaults head on Bull runs down street surrounded by men in white outifts * * Facts are up against fear in Fukushima A woman puts flowers into the sea to pray for victims of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Sendai, northern Japan on March 11, 2016 * An unsolved murder in Canada fuels rifts with India Sikhs protest for the independence of Khalistan in front of the Indian Consulate in Toronto, Canada, on July 8, 2023. * The US military revives an idea for stealthy sea power Yamato-1 * 'Nerve-shredding' film explores perils of freediving Diver floating in the water * The 'African king' leading a revolution Biniam Girmay poses next to a timing screen at the Tour de France * Why brands are leaving social media Screenshot of Meta's Threads app on smartphone Elsewhere on the BBC * Why syphilis is rising around the world Doctor * Sport's strictest dress code finally relents Kate Middleton * A long-lost city found in the Americas map Most Read 1. 1 Architect held in Long Island serial killer case 2. 2 Hollywood strike could last until 'end of the year' 3. 3 The Black Mirror plot about AI that worries actors 4. 4 Wagner head rejected Russian army offer - Putin 5. 5 Europe bakes as record temperatures expected 6. 6 $39bn in US student loan relief for thousands 7. 7 US House passes controversial defence spending bill 8. 8 Fran Drescher: The sitcom star taking on Hollywood 9. 9 Benjamin Mendy found not guilty of raping woman 10. 10 The unlikely hit film that became a political flashpoint BBC News Services * On your mobile * On smart speakers * Get news alerts * Contact BBC News * Home * News * Sport * Reel * Worklife * Travel * Future * Culture * Music * TV * Weather * Sounds * Terms of Use * About the BBC * Privacy Policy * Cookies * Accessibility Help * Parental Guidance * Contact the BBC * Get Personalised Newsletters * Why you can trust the BBC * Advertise with us (c) 2023 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.