In the Land of Ninkasi: A History of Beer in Ancient Mesopotamia

“[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

“Paulette works with the archaeology and philology in ways few scholars can. By refusing to simplify the complexities of ancient beer culture, he has crafted something more valuable than easy answers- a work that highlights both the knowable and unknowable aspects of Mesopotamian civilization.” — Michael Kozuh, American Historical Review

“Tate Paulette, archaeologist and associate professor of history at North Carolina State University, has carefully collected all this material and discussed it with competence and enthusiasm: with his captivating language, which is also understandable to a non-academic audience, the author has managed to combine academic expertise with a passion for beer.” — Andrea Ravasco, Rivista Biblica

“In the Land of Ninkasi is thoroughly researched, is well written, and resonates with the reader via a vivid archaeological imagination while acknowledging the gaps in our knowledge… It succeeds admirably in moving scholarship on beer production and consumption forward, both in ancient Mesopotamia and elsewhere.” — American Antiquity

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