Beer is a common beverage in many people’s lives. It comes in thousands of varieties, is nutritious, and is a great social drink. Going back thousands of years, beer had a distinct taste, but it also had a distinct purpose: to sustain entire civilizations. This is because it was used in rituals, served as a point of unity between societies, provided calories, and was a source of safe drinking water.

Beer was no stranger to the ancient Romans. In fact, a team of Oxford researchers found the remains of Roman mega-industries in Britain dedicated to the production of ceramics, salt, and lots of beer.

Go to BritainThe Romans, excited by the idea of ​​conquering as much territory as possible and projecting their power, had one eye on Britain. Conquering the islands would give them a stronghold in the northeastern Atlantic, and Caesar’s attempted invasions in 54 and 55 BC foreshadowed what would happen almost a century later, when Rome launched a campaign from AD 43 to 84 that conquered almost all of the fragmented, tribal-ruled Britain.

We need beer. Although each tribe often went their own way, the Roman invaders had a hard time and what such a large army needed was a considerable amount of food. It is here that beer played a key role due to its rapid nutritional contribution to the soldiers and where the need for supply translated into the development of an industrial structure.

Industrial malting tank in the Northern Fleet

Villas. Over the years, towns developed that had industrial functions beyond being urban centres. The need to supply the army was a key factor in urban centres, and rapid industrial development was the reason for this, says archaeologist Edward Biddulph on the BBC. Various studies have suggested over the years that beer was important to soldiers, but recent research has completed the puzzle.

Archaeologists found evidence of industrial beer production at one of these villas in the Northern Fleet. They found stone ovens and wood-lined grain soaking tanks that were once thought to have been used solely for drying corn, but are now known to have been “malting kilns used to heat partially sprouted grain to produce malt,” according to Biddulph’s comment.

Tile kiln in Corby

Another tip: ceramics“We tend to think of the Roman world as being dominated by wine, but in reality a large proportion of the population of Roman Britain drank beer,” the archaeologist continues. “We see this in the ceramics they used: large cups. ‘The same size as a modern beer glass.’

And ceramics were also important to this Roman industry during the occupation. Products such as olive oil and wine were transported to Britain using ceramic amphorae, but Biddulph argues that the Romano-British “produced their own jugs” for both beer and transportation. One example is Horningsea, where an excavation has revealed that the area was an important ceramic-producing area.

Industrial tile kiln for salt removal by evaporation of water

Industrial spotlights. Roman villas in Britain continued to develop over the years, reaching their peak in the 3rd and 4th centuries. A 2020 excavation in Northamptonshire revealed that these cores contained an area dedicated to industry. In the aforementioned, researchers discovered not only ceramics and building materials such as bricks and lime, but also a tile kiln and, essential, a road built by the military.

There is no castle near the town, so the road may have been a link to other areas for trade purposes. Beyond the brewing and ceramic industries, salt was also produced on an industrial scale in the towns. A 2009 excavation at Stanford Wharf Nature Reserve revealed that salt had been mined here since the Iron Age, but production increased significantly in the 3rd and 4th centuries.

With recent research, archaeologists have made it clear that the towns developed to have their own industrial areas to supply beer to the army and Londinium (London), but also to provide salt, iron and a large production of salted meat and fish in the Wealden region, and to make sauce.

Images | Oxford Archaeology, Oxford Archaeology IG

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