Abydos Royal Brewery
• World’s oldest industrial-scale brewery dating to c. 3000 BCE (Dynasty 0-1)
• Site discovered by T.E. Peet in 1911, but its original purpose and function were not understood until more than one hundred years later
• Rediscovered and investigated by Matthew D. Adams and Deborah Vischak between 2018 and 2021
• Focus of ongoing investigation of beer production and its cultural significance at the beginning of Egyptian history through NEH-funded research project, “The Abydos Royal Breweries and the Emergence of Kingship in Egypt” (Matthew D. Adams, P.I.)
• Read more about the discovery and excavation of the Abydos Royal Brewery site on our blog
• Watch “How Beer Made Kings in Early Egypt,” by Matthew D. Adams (Harvard Museums of Science & Culture, 2021)
Photo (1) Brewery excavations in progress, Abydos Archaeology © 2022, (2) Second Dynasty beer jar from the Khasekhemwy Enclosure, Abydos Archaeology © 2019