The inhabitants of the land between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers gave us the world’s first cities, first kings, first writing. They also built the world’s first great beer culture. They loved their beer: its colors, textures, tastes, and intoxicating effects. They sipped it through long reed straws and praised it in song and story. They drank beer at home, on the job, and in neighborhood taverns––also at feasts, festivals and religious ceremonies. In this talk, Tate Paulette introduces his new book, In the Land of Ninkasi: A History of Beer in Ancient Mesopotamia. This presentation explores exactly what we know about the beers, brewers, and drinkers of ancient Mesopotamia, how we know it, and what puzzles still remain to be solved.

This event will be held at The Glass Jug Beer Lab RTP, located at 5410 NC-55, Durham, NC 27713. Grab a beer, a glass of wine, or nonalcoholic beverage and join us in the outdoor beer garden! This program will be outside, so dress for the weather! Doors open at 4:30pm and admission will be first come, first served. Register for a reminder email and help us gauge attendance.

Tate Paulette is an archaeologist and Associate Professor in the Department of History at North Carolina State University. He has conducted archaeological fieldwork in Syria, Iraq, Egypt, Cyprus, Turkey, Scotland, and the United States and currently co-directs excavations at the site of Makounta-Voules-Mersinoudia in western Cyprus. He is author of In the Land of Ninkasi: A History of Beer in Ancient Mesopotamia and editor of the forthcoming A Cultural History of Wine in Antiquity.