Alex OHagan 1 The Golden Age In modern American culture there are many activities, sports and pastimes

that make up our individual lifestyles. You have your baseball games, music festivals, derby races, and hundreds more things that can entertain you during your free time. But what is the one thing that is universally loved through out the world that makes all of these things much more enjoyable? Thats right! Beer! Beer has been around for a very long time and is accepted and celebrated in many cultures all around the world. But just how long is a long time you ask? Well it all started between 10,000-15,000 years ago when a group of early humans were on there way to becoming the first civilization. This group of humans is known today as the Sumerians. Sumeria was located between the Tigris, and Euphrates River, including southern Mesopotamia and the ancient cities of Babylon and Ur. Originating as a hunter-gatherer society, in which the men hunted for meat and the women gathered berries, nuts, and vegetables to support the people. Once these Sumerians began to farm and cultivate the land for crops they could now build a surplus of food for their villages, and thus agriculture was born. The first domesticated crop that the civilization farmed was grain. Raw grain is indigestible for early humans, therefore it has to be cooked on a fire or boiled into porridge to make it palatable. Now if you take grain and leave it to soak in water for a period of time, it will begin to ferment and produce a mildly intoxicating beverage. It is during this process that scholars believe the Sumerians accidently discovered grain alcohol. A seal discovered by archeologists, believed to be around 4,000 years old is a

Alex OHagan 2 Sumerian "Hymn to Ninkasi", the goddess of brewing. The hymn inscribed on this ancient seal is in fact a recipe for beer! The process for this ancient brewing goes as such. First you harvest some grain and bake it into bread. You then take the bread and crumble it into water to make a mash. This mash is covered and left outside for the duration of the fermentation process. Once this is completed you have beer! In ancient Sumeria it is believed that both beer and bread were very important in everyday life. Beer was used to trade as currency, and everyone from kings to peasants partook in this wonderful golden brew. In some cultures derived from Sumeria, (such as the Babylonians) there were laws that decreed a daily beer ration based on the social standing of the individual. Normal workers received two liters of beer daily, civil servants received three liters, and administrators and priests received five liters! Its quite a wonder that they got anything done! Now even though it is around 10,000 years later, people all over the world are still brewing and drinking beer that isnt much different then that of the ancient Sumerians. It is widely accepted and celebrated in American culture as well as many other cultures across the globe. So next time you go to a baseball game, concert, tavern, or maybe just to mingle with your friends and family, pop the lid off that wonderful beverage and give a cheers to your Sumerian ancestors for giving you the opportunity to enjoy it.