---
title: Beer: The Drink Which Makes One's Heart Feel Light
author: Joshua J. Mark
source: https://www.worldhistory.org/Beer/
format: machine-readable-alternate
license: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/)
updated: 2026-04-15
---
# Beer: The Drink Which Makes One's Heart Feel Light
_Authored by [Joshua J. Mark](https://www.worldhistory.org/user/JPryst/)_
Beer is one of the oldest intoxicating beverages consumed by human beings. Even a cursory survey of history makes clear that, after human beings have taken care of the essential needs of food, shelter, and rudimentary laws for the community, their next immediate concern is developing intoxicants. In ancient [Mesopotamia](https://www.worldhistory.org/Mesopotamia/), this was accomplished circa 4000 BCE.
Evidence of early beer brewing has been confirmed by finds at the [Sumerian](https://www.worldhistory.org/Sumerians/) settlement of [Godin Tepe](https://www.worldhistory.org/Godin_Tepe/) in modern-day Iran, going back to between 3500 and 3100 BCE, but intoxicants had already become an integral aspect of daily human life long before. Scholar Jean Bottero writes:
> In ancient Mesopotamia, among the oldest 'civilized people' in the world, alchoholic beverages were part of the festivities as soon as a simple repast bordered on a feast. Although beer, brewed chiefly from a barley base, remained the 'national drink', wine was not uncommon.
> (84)
Although wine was consumed in Mesopotamia, it never reached the level of popularity that beer maintained for thousands of years. [Sumerians](https://www.worldhistory.org/Sumerians/) loved beer so much they ascribed the creation of it to the gods, and beer plays a prominent role in many of the Sumerian myths, among them *[Inanna](https://www.worldhistory.org/Inanna/) and the [God](https://www.worldhistory.org/God/) of Wisdom* and *The Epic of [Gilgamesh](https://www.worldhistory.org/gilgamesh/)*. The Sumerian *Hymn to Ninkasi*, written down in 1800 BCE but understood to be much older, is both a praise song to the Sumerian goddess of beer and a recipe for brewing.
Brewers were female, most likely priestesses of Ninkasi, and early on, beer was brewed by [women](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/women/) in the home as a supplement to meals. The beer was a thick, porridge-like drink consumed through a straw and was made from bippar (barley bread) which was baked twice and allowed to ferment in a vat. By the year 2050 BCE, beer brewing had become commercialized, as evidenced by the famous Alulu beer receipt from the [city](https://www.worldhistory.org/city/) of [Ur](https://www.worldhistory.org/ur/) dated to that time.
### The Origin & Development of Beer
It is thought that the craft of brewing beer began in domestic kitchens when grains used for baking bread were left out unattended and began to ferment. Scholars Jeremy Black and Anthony Green, to name only one authority on the subject, write, "alcoholic beverages probably resulted from an accidental discovery during the early hunter-gatherer stage of human prehistory" (*Gods*, 28). While this theory has long been accepted, scholar Stephen Bertman advances another and discusses the long-standing popularity of the drink:
> Though bread was basic to the Mesopotamian diet, botanist Jonathan D. Sauer has suggested the making of it may not have been the original incentive for raising barley. Instead, he has argued, the real incentive was beer, first discovered when kernels of barley were found sprouting and fermenting in storage. Whether or not Sauer is right, beer soon became the ancient Mesopotamian's favorite drink.
> As a Sumerian proverb has it: "He who does not know beer, does not know good." The Babylonians had some 70 varieties, and beer was enjoyed by both gods and humans who, as art shows, drank it from long straws to avoid the barley hulls that tended to float to the surface.
> (292)
[  Queen Puabi's Seal Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin (Copyright) ](https://www.worldhistory.org/image/8105/queen-puabis-seal/ "Queen Puabi's Seal")The scholar Max Nelson also rejects the claim that brewing beer was discovered accidentally, [writing](https://www.worldhistory.org/writing/):
> Fruits often naturally ferment through the actions of wild yeast and the resultant alcoholic mixtures are often sought out and enjoyed by animals. Pre-agricultural humans in various areas from the [Neolithic period](https://www.worldhistory.org/Neolithic/) on surely similarly sought out such fermenting fruits and probably even collected wild fruits in the hopes that they would have an interesting physical effect (that is, be intoxicating) if left in the open air.
> (9)
Beer became popular not only because of the taste and its effects but also because it was healthier to drink than the water of the region. Scholar [Paul](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Paul/) Kriwaczek details how the waste disposal systems of the [cities](https://www.worldhistory.org/city/) of Mesopotamia were intricately designed to deposit human and animal waste outside the city walls and yet that was precisely where the water supply was usually located.
Kriwaczek notes how this was "a magnificent engineering achievement but a potential disaster for public health" (83). The best waters were far from the cities, but nearby streams could be tapped for water to make beer, which was safer to drink because of the fermenting process, which involved boiling the water. Kriwaczek continues:
> If the watercourses were unsafe, boreholes and wells were no more providers of drinking water, as the saline water-table was too close to the surface. Beer therefore, sterilized by its weak alcohol content, was the safest drink, just as in the western world, as late as Victorian times, it was served at every meal, even in hospitals and orphanages. In ancient [Sumer](https://www.worldhistory.org/sumer/), beer also constituted a proportion of the wages paid to those who had to serve others for their living.
> (83)
Beer became the drink of choice throughout the region and especially so once it developed into a commercial enterprise. At this point, it seems, the business was taken over by men who recognized how lucrative it could be, and women – the traditional brewers – continued on under their supervision. The brew was all handcrafted, of course, but as it gained in popularity, it was made in greater quantities, and this led to the development of larger-scale breweries. Scholar Gwendolyn Leick comments:
> Beer was produced mainly from barley. From the pounded grain, cakes were molded and baked for a short time. These were pounded again, mixed with water, and brought to fermentation. Then the pulp was filtered and the beer stored in large jars. Mesopotamian beer could be kept only for a short time and had to be consumed fresh.
> The [cuneiform](https://www.worldhistory.org/cuneiform/) texts mention different kinds of beer, such as "strong beer", "fine beer", and "dark beer". Other sorts were produced from emmer or sesame, as well as dates in the Neo-Babylonian Period and later.
> (33)
[  Mesopotamian Beer Rations Tablet Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin (Copyright) ](https://www.worldhistory.org/image/4849/mesopotamian-beer-rations-tablet/ "Mesopotamian Beer Rations Tablet")The gods were thought to have given beer to humanity, and so beer was offered back to them in sacrifice at the temples throughout Mesopotamia. As noted, it was also used to pay wages and was consumed readily at religious festivals, celebrations, and funeral ceremonies. Beer was associated with good times as a drink that made one's heart feel light and allowed one to forget one's problems.
In *The Epic of Gilgamesh*, for example, the hero, distraught over the [death](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Death/) of his friend, sets out on a quest for immortality and the meaning of life. In his travels, he meets the barmaid Siduri, who suggests he leave off such lofty aspirations and simply enjoy life while he lives; in short, she tells him to relax and have a beer. Beer was widely enjoyed for a variety of reasons and under virtually every sort of circumstance. Black and Green write:
> That commercialized social drinking, not for religious or medicinal purposes, was common by at least the early second millennium BC is attested by the laws of [Hammurabi](https://www.worldhistory.org/hammurabi/) of [Babylon](https://www.worldhistory.org/babylon/) regulating public houses.
> (*Gods*, 28)
Although the Sumerians had first developed the craft of brewing, the Babylonians took the process further and regulated how it was brewed, served, and even who could sell it. A priestess who had been consecrated to a deity, for example, was allowed to drink as much beer as she pleased privately but was prohibited from opening a tavern, serving beer, or entering a tavern to drink publicly like a common woman.
As with the brewing process itself, the first bartenders were women, as the [Code of Hammurabi](https://www.worldhistory.org/Code_of_Hammurabi/) makes clear. Among other regulations, Hammurabi's code threatens death by drowning for any woman tending bar who pours a "short measure" of beer for a customer, meaning anyone who does not fill the customer's vessel in accordance with the price paid.
### Beer Travels the World
Through [trade](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/trade/), beer traveled to [Egypt](https://www.worldhistory.org/egypt/), where the people embraced the brew eagerly. Egyptians loved their beer as much as the Mesopotamians did, and breweries grew up all around Egypt. As in Mesopotamia, women were the first brewers, and beer was closely associated with the goddess [Hathor](https://www.worldhistory.org/Hathor/) at Dendera at an early stage. Scholar Richard H. Wilkinson writes:
> Hathor was associated with alcoholic beverages which seem to have been used extensively in her festivals, and the image of the goddess is often found on vessels made to contain wine and beer. Hathor was thus known as the mistress of drunkenness, of song, and of myrrh, and it is certainly likely that these qualities increased the goddess's popularity from [Old Kingdom](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Old_Kingdom/) times and ensured her persistence throughout the rest of Egypt's history.
> (143)
Although Hathor encouraged people to freely express their joy in life through drink, it should be noted that drinking to excess was only appropriate under certain conditions. Neither Hathor nor any of the other [Egyptian](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Egyptian/) deities smiled upon drunk workers or those who abused alcohol to another's detriment. The universal principle of *[ma'at](https://www.worldhistory.org/Ma'at/)* (harmony and balance) allowed for excessive drinking but always in balance with the rest of one's daily responsibilities, one's family, and the larger community.
Hathor was not the primary goddess of beer, however; the Egyptian goddess of beer was Tenenit (from one of the Egyptian words for beer, *tenemu*), and it was thought the art of brewing was first taught to her by the great god [Osiris](https://www.worldhistory.org/osiris/) himself. Like Ninkasi in Sumer, Tenenit brewed her beer from the finest ingredients and oversaw every aspect of its creation.
[  Beer Brewing in Ancient Egypt The Trustees of the British Museum (Copyright) ](https://www.worldhistory.org/image/6423/beer-brewing-in-ancient-egypt/ "Beer Brewing in Ancient Egypt")The final result of her efforts was a brew that was enjoyed throughout the land in a number of different varieties. Workers at the [Giza](https://www.worldhistory.org/giza/) plateau received beer rations three times a day, and prescriptions for various ailments included the use of beer (over 100 recipes for medicines included the drink). As in Mesopotamia, beer was thought to be healthier than drinking water and was consumed by Egyptians of all ages, from the youngest to the oldest.
From Egypt, beer traveled to [Greece](https://www.worldhistory.org/greece/) (as evidenced by the similarity of another of the Egyptians' words for beer, *zytum,* and the ancient [Greek](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/greek/) for the beverage, *zythos*). The Greeks, however, as the Romans after them, favored strong wine over beer and considered the grainy brew an inferior drink of barbarians.
The [Roman Emperor](https://www.worldhistory.org/Roman_Emperor/) Julian even composed a poem extolling the virtues of wine as a nectar while noting that beer smelled like a goat. That the Romans did brew beer, however, is evidenced by finds at the [Roman](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Roman/) outpost in Regensburg, Germany – founded in 179 CE by [Marcus Aurelius](https://www.worldhistory.org/Marcus_Aurelius/) as Casta Regina – as well as at Trier and other sites.
### Ancient Attitudes Toward Beer
As the [Roman Empire](https://www.worldhistory.org/Roman_Empire/) spread, so naturally did Roman [culture](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/culture/) and tastes. Since the Romans favored wine over beer, beer was considered a distasteful 'barbarian beverage' as compared with the cultivated and higher-class drink of wine. Even so, it seems it was primarily the [Celts](https://www.worldhistory.org/celt/) who were first responsible for wine's preferential status over beer, as they also considered beer an unfit drink for a man. Nelson writes:
> Beer was thought to be an inferior type of intoxicant since it was (at least often) affected by the corrupting power of yeast and was naturally a 'cold' and hence effeminate substance while wine was thought to be unaffected by yeast and to be rather a 'hot' and hence manly substance.
> (115-116)
The Gauls were "addicted to the wine imported by Italian merchants which they drank unmixed \[with water\] and in immoderate amounts to the point of falling into stupors" and also that they were so enamored of wine that they would "exchange a slave for one jar of Italian wine" (Nelson, 48-49). However poorly beer was viewed by the prevailing elite, though, their attitude did nothing to stop people from brewing the drink.
[  Urartian Beer Pitchers James Blake Wiener (CC BY-NC-SA) ](https://www.worldhistory.org/image/7163/urartian-beer-pitchers/ "Urartian Beer Pitchers")As Nelson makes clear throughout his work, *The Barbarian's Beverage: A History of Beer in Ancient [Europe](https://www.worldhistory.org/europe/)*, the brew recognized in the modern day as "beer" developed in Germany, and their brewing techniques then influenced further development throughout Europe. The Germans were brewing beer as early as 800 BCE, and their early methods mirrored those of the ancient Sumerians in regard to purity of the brew, but with the important addition of hops.
Women were also the first brewers in Germany, and beer was made from only fresh water, heated, and the best grains. The tradition continued down into the Christian era when monks took up the craft of brewing and sold beer from their monasteries.
Beer was still considered a divine gift, now given by the Christian god, and the evils which might arise from drunkenness were ascribed to the devil (Nelson, 87). The biblical injunction to refrain from drunkenness (Ephesians 5:18) was not thought to apply to the drink itself but rather to overindulgence, which opened the door for darker powers to enter one's life rather than one being filled with the Holy Spirit sent from God. This view of beer is similar to that of the people of ancient Mesopotamia, who blamed an individual for overindulgence in drink, and the attendant problems which might arise, but never the drink itself.
By 770, the Christian champion [Charlemagne](https://www.worldhistory.org/Charlemagne/) was appointing brewers in France and, like the Babylonians long before him, regulated the production, sale, and use of it. Beer was still understood to be healthier to drink than water because of the brewing process and continued to be associated with a divine origin; its popularity also continued undiminished.
The Finnish epic *The Kalevala* (written in the 17th century but based on much older tales) devotes more lines to beer than to the creation of the world and praises the effects of beer in such a way that they would be easily recognizable to anyone from ancient Sumer to a modern-day drinker.
### Conclusion
Brewers continued to enjoy a special status in their communities until the 19th and 20th centuries, when temperance groups gained political power in the United States and areas of Europe and were able to effect prohibition to greater or lesser degrees. Even so, the long-established popularity of intoxicants among human beings could not be suppressed by legislation, and all the acts of all the governing bodies would not stop brewers and vintners from rising again.
In the modern day, beer is as lucrative a commercial venture as it was in the ancient world, and the drink retains its popularity on an international scale. Whether an individual is experiencing good or bad times, beer continues to enjoy the same high status it did in ancient Mesopotamia: the drink that makes one's heart feel light.
#### Editorial Review
This human-authored definition has been reviewed by our editorial team before publication to ensure accuracy, reliability and adherence to academic standards in accordance with our [editorial policy](https://www.worldhistory.org/static/editorial-policy/).
## Bibliography
- [Bertman, S. *Handbook to Life in Ancient Mesopotamia.* Oxford University Press, 2005.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/0195183649/)
- [Black, J & Green, A. *Gods, Demons and Symbols of Ancient Mesopotamia.* University of Texas Press, 1992.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/0292707940/)
- [Black, J. et. al. *The Literature of Ancient Sumer.* Oxford University Press, 2006.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/0199296332/)
- [Bottéro, J. *Everyday Life in Ancient Mesopotamia.* Johns Hopkins University Press, 2001.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/0801868645/)
- [Egyptian Beer for the Living, the Dead .. and the Gods - BeerAdvocate](http://beeradvocate.com/articles/629 "Egyptian Beer for the Living, the Dead .. and the Gods - BeerAdvocate"), accessed 1 Dec 2016.
- [Kramer, S. N. *The Sumerians: Their History, Culture, and Character.* University of Chicago Press, 1971.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/0226452387/)
- [Kriwaczek, P. *Babylon: Mesopotamia and the Birth of Civilization.* St. Martin's Griffin, 2012.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/1250054168/)
- [Leick, G. *The A to Z of Mesopotamia.* Scarecrow Press, 2010.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/0810875772/)
- [Nelson, M. *The Barbarian's Beverage: A History of Beer in Ancient Europe.* Routledge, 2005.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/0415311217/)
- [Oliver, G. *The Oxford Companion to Beer.* Oxford University Press, 2011.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/0195367138/)
- [Von Soden, W. *The Ancient Orient.* Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1994.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/0802801420/)
- [Wilkinson,R. H. *The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt.* Thames & Hudson, 2016.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/0500284245/)
- [Wise Bauer, S. *The History of the Ancient World.* W. W. Norton & Company, 2007.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/039305974X/)
## About the Author
Joshua J. Mark is World History Encyclopedia's co-founder and Content Director. He was previously a professor at Marist College (NY) where he taught history, philosophy, literature, and writing. He has traveled extensively and lived in Greece and Germany.
- [Linkedin Profile](https://www.linkedin.com/pub/joshua-j-mark/38/614/339)
## Timeline
- **c. 5000 BCE**: [Godin Tepe](https://www.worldhistory.org/Godin_Tepe/) settled.
- **c. 3500 BCE - c. 3100 BCE**: [Beer](https://www.worldhistory.org/Beer/) brewed at [Godin Tepe](https://www.worldhistory.org/Godin_Tepe/).
- **c. 2250 BCE**: [Beer](https://www.worldhistory.org/Beer/) brewed in [Egypt](https://www.worldhistory.org/egypt/).
- **c. 2150 BCE - c. 2000 BCE**: Written form of the [Sumerian](https://www.worldhistory.org/Sumerians/) Epic of [Gilgamesh](https://www.worldhistory.org/gilgamesh/), which mentions [beer](https://www.worldhistory.org/Beer/).
- **2050 BCE**: The Alulu [Beer](https://www.worldhistory.org/Beer/) Receipt Tablet written at the [city](https://www.worldhistory.org/city/) of [Ur](https://www.worldhistory.org/ur/).
- **c. 1800 BCE**: Written form of the Hymn to Ninkasi, the goddess of [beer](https://www.worldhistory.org/Beer/).
- **c. 1800 BCE**: The [Sumerian](https://www.worldhistory.org/Sumerians/) [Hymn to Ninkasi, goddess of beer](https://www.worldhistory.org/article/222/the-hymn-to-ninkasi-goddess-of-beer/), written down.
- **c. 1700 BCE**: The [Code of Hammurabi](https://www.worldhistory.org/Code_of_Hammurabi/), with laws regulating [beer](https://www.worldhistory.org/Beer/), written at [Babylon](https://www.worldhistory.org/babylon/).
- **800 BCE**: [Beer](https://www.worldhistory.org/Beer/) brewed in Germany.
- **496 BCE - 406 BCE**: Life of [Greek](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/greek/) playwright [Sophocles](https://www.worldhistory.org/sophocles/), who suggests moderation in drinking [beer](https://www.worldhistory.org/Beer/).
- **56 CE - 117 CE**: Life of the [Roman](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Roman/) writer [Tacitus](https://www.worldhistory.org/tacitus/) who mentions [beer](https://www.worldhistory.org/Beer/) in his work.
- **179 CE**: [Beer](https://www.worldhistory.org/Beer/) brewed at the [Roman](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Roman/) outpost Casta Regina on the Danube.
- **331 CE - 363 CE**: Life of the [Roman Emperor](https://www.worldhistory.org/Roman_Emperor/) Julian who wrote poem disparaging [beer](https://www.worldhistory.org/Beer/).
- **770 CE**: King [Charlemagne](https://www.worldhistory.org/Charlemagne/) appoints brewers. [Beer](https://www.worldhistory.org/Beer/) brewed in France.
- **c. 1600 CE**: The Finnish [Saga](https://www.worldhistory.org/Saga/) of Kalevala written down from older sources. Describes creation of [beer](https://www.worldhistory.org/Beer/) using hops.
## Questions & Answers
### When was beer first brewed in Mesopotamia?
Beer was first brewed in Mesopotamia circa 4000 BCE.
### Who were the first brewers of beer in Mesopotamia?
Women were the first brewers of beer in Mesopotamia and continued to be so until men saw how profitable brewing and selling beer could be and took over.
### Was beer linked to religion in Mesopotamia?
Yes. Beer was thought to be the "drink of the gods" and its manufacture was overseen by the goddess Ninkasi.
### Where was "modern beer" first developed?
Modern beer was first developed in Germany as early as 800 BCE. The difference between this beer and "ancient beer" was the addition of hops.
## External Links
- [The Hidden History of Business Podcast](http://hiddenhistoryofbusiness.com/index.php/2015/11/17/episode-9-beer-in-mesopotamia/)
- [The Geek Shall Inherit the Earth: An Affectionate Look at the More Beer-Obsessed Among Us](https://www.beeradvocate.com/articles/629/the-geek-shall-inherit-the-earth/)
- [Beer in Ancient Egypt](http://ancientegyptonline.co.uk/beer/)
- [Ancient Egyptian Alcohol: Beer, Wine and the Festival of Drunkenness](http://www.thekeep.org/~kunoichi/kunoichi/themestream/egypt_alcohol.html)
- [Were the ancient Sumerians the world's first brewers?](http://www.dw.de/were-the-ancient-sumerians-the-worlds-first-brewers/a-15678894)
## Cite This Work
### APA
Mark, J. J. (2026, April 15). Beer: The Drink Which Makes One's Heart Feel Light. *World History Encyclopedia*.
### Chicago
Mark, Joshua J.. "Beer: The Drink Which Makes One's Heart Feel Light." *World History Encyclopedia*, April 15, 2026. .
### MLA
Mark, Joshua J.. "Beer: The Drink Which Makes One's Heart Feel Light." *World History Encyclopedia*, 15 Apr 2026, .
## License & Copyright
Submitted by [Joshua J. Mark](https://www.worldhistory.org/user/JPryst/ "User Page: Joshua J. Mark"), published on 15 April 2026. The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/deed.en). This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon this content non-commercially, as long as they credit the author and license their new creations under the identical terms. When republishing on the web a hyperlink back to the original content source URL must be included. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms.