In what is arguably the earliest production site for alcohol of any kind, a beer-like beverage is said to have been produced 13,000 years ago.

The Rakefet cave has been the focus of archaeological research for almost 50 years. Here, evidence of one of the oldest bread-producing facilities was already uncovered, and it was also known as a burial site and a storage place for food. The remains found there come from the Natufian culture, which lived in this area between 12,000 and 9,000 BC, following the last great ice age, according to researchers. The Natufian culture was Epipaleolithic, meaning it existed during the transition of human life from a hunter-gatherer existence to that of sedentary peasants. It is likely that those who brewed beer at the Rakefet cave were at that time only semi-sedentary, and researchers will no doubt debate for many years to come the circumstances under which this civilization discovered and decided to produce alcohol.

It’s notable that the...

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