In Germany’s ‘Stonehenge’, A Discovery Sheds Light On 4,000-Year-Old Beer Making

Excavations have been going on at the site for the last five years. (Representational Photo)

An ancient brewery dating back to more than 4,000 years ago has been unearthed in German ‘Stonehenge’, a site resembling the original one in the UK with its concentric circles and wooden or stone structures, Newsweek said in a report. The discovery took place earlier this month at the Ring Sanctuary of Poemmelte in the Salzland region of the state of Saxony-Anhalt, and is believed to be central Germany’s first brewery, the outlet further said in its report.

Excavations have been going on at the site for the last five years and more than 10,000 discoveries have been made. It will be complete in September 2022.

“The remains of a special drying oven still contain grain residues, from which malt was possibly obtained for an early form of beer production,” Dr Franziska Knoll, from the State Office for Monument Preservation and Archaeology of Saxony-Anhalt, was quoted as saying by Newsweek.

“To be absolutely sure, we still have to wait for the archaeobotanical analysis,” she added.

But the barley and malt obtained from the excavation site gave another German professor, 62-year-old Harald Meller, confidence that people who descended from eastern Barbarians (around 2,400 BC) had nearly perfected the art of making ale.

“It is quite possible that we will come across the first mug from which the beer was served,” Professor Meller was quoted as saying by the outlet.

Dr Gunnar Schellenberger, the president of the State Parliament of Saxony-Anhalt, welcomed the discovery, saying it will help develop interest about the region in tourists.

The Ring Sanctuary, located over 130 kilometres from Germany’s capital Berlin, was reconstructed in 2016 and since then has become a popular tourist attraction.