Merryn Dineley

There is an assumption that grain equals flour equals bread in many archaeological contexts. The fundamental processes of malting, mashing and fermentation have been lost, especially in the interpretation of Neolithic sites.

Over ten years ago I first proposed that some large Grooved Ware pots may have been used as fermentation vessels (British Archaeology no 19 1996; BAR S1213 2004). There has been minimal debate about this theory, perhaps because the processes of malting, mashing and fermentation are not fully understood or appreciated by archaeologists. A few responses to this theory prove this. Some people have confused malt extract with yeast extract or Marmite. Others believe that beer is made from fermented hops and spent grain is thought to be alcoholic.

The evidence for the wet processing of grain into malt and ale is often ignored, dismissed or overlooked. Such evidence includes the range of size of grooved ware assemblages, barley lipids in the grooved ware pottery and drains at settlement sites.

I would like to take this opportunity to re present the theory and to explain the processes involved. Evidence for brewing at Neolithic sites in the Uk is particularly good Orcadian sites, such as Skara Brae, Barnhouse and recent excavations at the Ness of Brodgar.