A feast for beer geeks and history buffs alike, In the Land of Ninkasi tells the story of the world's first great beer culture. In this authoritative but light-hearted account of beers gone by, archaeologist Tate Paulette brings the famous "land between the rivers" back to life in vivid detail. We meet not only the beers of ancient Mesopotamia, but also the people who brewed them and drank them, the places where these people lived and worked, the taverns and temples and tombs where they did their drinking, the stories they told about beer, their preferred styles of drinking, their brewing equipment and drinking paraphernalia, the gods and goddesses who governed their lives and who were also partial to a drink. Rigorous in its scholarship, yet staunchly unpretentious in style, this beer-centered travel guide for a trip back in time offers a clear roadmap into the ancient source material for those who are new to Mesopotamia. Paulette weaves together insights drawn from archaeological remains, ancient works of art, and cuneiform texts. He uses a series of narrative vignettes and thought experiments to interrogate specific pieces of evidence and pull the reader, step-by-step, into the process of analysis and interpretation, explaining exactly what we know and how we know it. Readers will come away with a new appreciation for the depth of our knowledge about this early beer-drinking culture, painstakingly pieced together by generations of dedicated scholars. They will also encounter plenty of unknowns: enigmatic evidence that defies explanation, unresolved debates, puzzles that remain to be solved. For those who prefer their history in liquid form, Paulette also recounts some of his own experiences recreating ancient beer and provides a brew-it-yourself recipe to try at home.

Prizes

Winner of 2026 Felicia A. Holton Book Award Winner, Archaeological Institute of America Winner, Nancy Lapp Popular Book Award, American Schools of Overseas Research.

[In the Land of Ninkasi] balances academic depth with enjoyable storytelling, making it a compelling read for anyone interested in history, archaeology, or the origins of brewing. * Sneha Kushwaha, World History Encyclopedia *
Equally engaging to scholars of the ancient Near East as to general readers of food history, this book serves up a uniquely captivating origins story of an unassuming beverage that changed the fate of humanity. * Gojko Barjamovic, Harvard University *
Tate Paulette's In the Land of Ninkasi is a tour-de-force journey back in time to the beginnings of beermaking. He has made early Mesopotamian beers of all kinds understandable to homebrewer, scholar, and everyday drinker alike. * Patrick E. McGovern, Author of Ancient Brews: Rediscovered and Re-created *
Paulette has written the essential book for beer lovers and ancient history lovers alike. His accessible writing style places you into the world of ancient Mesopotamia and, like a detective picking up 4000-year-old clues, he pieces together history and recipes for some of the world's oldest brews. Many have touched on the topic of Mesopotamian beer but never in such depth nor shared the history in such an engaging manner. * Max Miller, Creator and host of the Tasting History web-show *
Entertaining and enlightening. * Evan Anderson, Library Journal *
It is, undoubtedly, the most important book published in the field of beer history for some time, because it looks at the whole 2,000-year story of brewing in the land between the Euphrates and the Tigris with the sceptical eyes of a scholar who is an expert in Middle East archaeology, knowledgeable enough about the ancient languages spoken in the region to be able to explain them to a lay person, and also knowledgeable enough about brewing to have participated in an attempt with professionals to recreate Sumerian beer. * Martyn Cornell, Zythophile *
Paulette is a thorough and accomplished scholar... able to lead the reader through a captivating journey in ancient Mesopotamia, the 'beer land' of Ninkasi. * Melania Zingarello, Antiquity *
An instructive, well-reasoned, well-written work representing the culmination of several years of painstakingly assembling dotted pieces of evidence on ancient Mesopotamian beer.... Paulette is a thorough and accomplished scholar who, by this book, has also proven to be an experienced novelist able to lead the reader through a captivating journey in ancient Mesopotamia, the 'beer land' of Ninkasi. * Melania Zingarello, Antiquity *
P.'s book significantly contributes to the academic conversation of beer's role in human history. The text is a must-read for scholars of ancient alcohol production. Simultaneously, the author's voice is wonderfully approachable, and the book has wide appeal. It wouldserve well as a textbook for culinary history courses. Modern brewers and beer enthusiasts will also devour this book with great enthusiasm. The wide range of readership is critical to driving the study forward. P. hopes to inspire further study; he emphasises this in the epilogue when discussing the importance of experimental archaeology. * Travis Rupp, The Classical Review *

Tate Paulette is an archaeologist and Assistant Professor in the Department of History at North Carolina State University. He is editor of the forthcoming A Cultural History of Wine in Antiquity.