The discovery of an industrial scale beer brewery at the early Egyptian site of Abydos demonstrates the role of alcohol in ancient societies. Was drinking your dinner on the ruler’s tab a way to keep workers fed, or maybe just to keep them from asking questions like ‘why are we building this stupid pyramid for this so-called king?’
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Abydos beer factory: Ancient large-scale brewery discovered in Egypt
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-56067717