The Antikythera Beer of Ancient Sumer
3900 BCE
Chemical analysis of pottery shards from Godin Tepe in Iran, dating to 3900 BCE, revealed calcium oxalate residue — a byproduct of barley fermentation known as beerstone. This is the oldest direct chemical evidence of beer production in the world. The Sumerians were so devoted to beer that they had a goddess of brewing (Ninkasi) and paid workers in beer rations. A 4,000-year-old Sumerian poem — the Hymn to Ninkasi — is also a complete beer recipe.