The Beer in the Ancient Orient. SO 



10 7iigin of red beer^ there were necessary 96 beer-loaves, 

 72 qa of (hulled) spelt and 120 qa-sag-gdl of ground germi- 

 nated grain. Hrozny- has further shown that the Babylonian 

 beers are valued according to the amount of spelt that was 

 added to the barley and the barley products. The Babylo- 

 nian "Prima beer", kas-kal, thus was composed often with 

 somewhat more than V4 of hulled spelt, or somewhat more 

 than 2/j. of husked spelt 3. The "good black beer" was some- 

 times prepared from barley exclusively. So in Allotte de la 

 Fuye, No. 169, Rev. I, 5 ff., and No. 170, I, iff. In this case 

 the more valuable barley products were used in larger quan- 

 tity. The texts mention further a beer, which was of a syrup)- 

 thickness and was eaten. The name of this beer is written 

 ideographically ^A<I^E^, i.e.. HUBUR+GUG+BULUG^. 

 We have followed so far the exposition of Hrozny, who 

 gives a very detailed account of the composition of the Baby- 

 lonian beers prepared with an addition of spelt in particular. 

 Leaving out of consideration the surely erroneous idea that 

 the Babylonians used malt with the preparations of their beers, 

 Hrozny's investigations have given us valuable informations 

 concerning the composition of the old Sumerian beers. The 

 Sumerian beer recipes give us only knowledge of the maTe"- 

 rials of grain that were used by the Babylonian brewer, or 

 the composition of different grains, with a statement of their 

 respective amounts. They contain, however, no statements re- 

 garding the method of brewing itself Since the texts, refer- 

 ring to brewing, always mention the beer loaves, it indicates 

 that the method of brewing must have been veiy similar to 

 the method employed by the Egyptians. For the making 

 of beer loaves we may refer back to what has been stated 

 above p. 78ff. ^The barley, or barley with the addition of spelt, 

 was kneaded with the beer loaves in the same way as was 

 customary with the Eg}^ptians. We have, above, mentioned 

 that amongst the vessels found in Rifeh there still remained 

 in many a quantity of barley grain and of bark}- mash. In 



i) See Allotte de l:i Fuye, No. i68, Obv. I, i fl". and Hrozny, /. c, p. 159. 



2) Hrozny, /. c, p. 161 .-vnd p. 174. 



3) Hrozny, /. c. p. 161. 4) Hrozny, /. c. p. 172. 



