4,000-year-old beer receipt reveals how ancient people drank
Researchers have analyzed a 4,000-year-old cuneiform tablet from Mesopotamia that served as an official receipt for beer deliveries. The artifact provides unique insights into the administrative and social role of beer in ancient urban life.
Why it matters
It offers a rare, tangible connection to the daily economic operations and cultural habits of one of humanity's earliest civilizations.
A clay tablet, hidden away in museum archives for decades, has revealed a remarkable story of daily life in ancient Mesopotamia. Researchers have deciphered a 4,000-year-old cuneiform tablet that functioned as a beer receipt, providing rare insight into how one of the world’s oldest civilizations produced, distributed and valued one of humanity’s oldest drinks.The discovery is part of the “Hidden Treasures” project, a cooperation between the University of Copenhagen and the National Museum of Denmark, the university said.
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