Identifying ancient beer brewing through starch analysis: A methodology

As documented in written and artistic records, the production and consumption of beer played a significant role in the social, political, and economic activities of many ancient societies. However, direct archaeological evidence of beer making has been relatively sporadic. To address this gap, we need a better understanding of the microbotanical residues produced by brewing. Thus, we conducted cereal-based fermentation experiments by following some brewing methods likely used in antiquity. Based on previous publications in food science, we investigated how beer-making processes affect the properties of starch granules by documenting the resulting changes that occur in the starch granules of 17 domesticated and wild plant species. This paper introduces a method for identifying starch residues from cereal-based beer, some mixed with other plant additives, which can be applied to future archaeological research in the Old World.