Abydos

Abedju; أبيدوس

Egypt · Sohag

Ancient cityExcavation ongoing
Approximate period4,000 BCE — 400 CEFrom the Predynastic and Early Dynastic periods to later pharaonic periods See on the map ↓

In brief

Abydos is an important religious and funerary centre with early royal tombs and later temples. Excavations in the northern section have uncovered remains of large-scale beer production dating to approximately 3000 BCE.

What was found?

  • 1Early royal beer production facility

    It is a facility established for large-scale beer production, dating to approximately 3000 BCE. It allows the organization of production during the early royal period to be studied.

  • 2Large ceramic production vats

    These are large vessels sealed with mud and arranged in rows within long structures. The charcoal beneath them and burnt organic remains inside them made it possible to understand their production functions.

  • 3Beer vessels

    Numerous ceramic vessels with mud stoppers were found near the royal monuments. They allow the relationship between the use of beer in ceremonial contexts and the production facility to be investigated.

  • 4Seal impressions bearing royal names

    Seal impressions containing rulers' names were found around the royal monuments. They document the connection of vessels and other materials with royal institutions.

What does it point to?

According to researchers, the scale of production points to a powerful organization capable of bringing together grain, water, fuel and labor. The facility's relationship with royal monuments suggests a connection between beer production, ceremonies and royal authority.

What did it teach us?

  1. Revealed that remains initially thought to be grain-drying installations were used in beer production.
  2. Showed that large-scale production facilities existed in the early Egyptian kingdom.
  3. According to researchers, showed that ceremonial consumption mobilized an extensive agricultural and production chain.

Images

SFEC-ABYDOS-2010-056
Steve F-E-Cameron · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Latest news / selected archive

In 2021, the function and capacity of the large-scale beer production facility from the early royal period were announced to the public.

Record

Culture
Ancient Egyptian
Team / historical
Abydos Archaeology; Matthew D. Adams and Deborah Vischak
Coordinates
26.1850°, 31.9189°

Sources

  1. abydos.org
  2. news.harvard.edu
  3. en.wikipedia.org

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