Bier – ein Jahrtausende altes Kultgetränk
»Bier – ein Jahrtausende altes Kultgetränk«
An Exhibition of the Federseemuseum Bad Buchau in co-operation with the University of Hohenheim, the Austrian Academy of Sciences and the Baden-Württemberg State Office for the Preservation of Monuments.
Beer is omnipresent, with around 1500 breweries in Germany alone testifying to its popularity. However, the traces that lead to the creation of this cult drink are lost in the darkness of history. This makes the remains of malted grain discovered in Stone Age pile dwellings, which are among the oldest evidence of the art of brewing in the world, all the more astonishing. They provide valuable information about prehistoric beer production, which the exhibition explores in depth. Presumably as early as around 12,000 years ago among the hunter-gatherers in what is now Turkey, but at the latest with the advent of the farming way of life, drinks were produced from grain, which for the first time paved the way for brewing the beer we know today.
In addition to its intoxicating effect, beer was one thing above all for the people of the time: a food that was free from pathogenic germs thanks to its acidic environment, provided high-quality nutrients and was easily available. The first large breweries, which could produce 1000 litres of beer and were presumably spread across the entire country, can be found in ancient Egypt. However, the written and pictorial sources from Egypt and the Near East in particular not only report on the beginnings of brewing and its technology, but also provide valuable information on the first simple recipes. In addition to its everyday use, beer also had a deep religious significance: songs and beer goddesses in the Orient, as well as the use of this beverage in ritual ceremonies by the Celts, make this very impressively clear.