Drink Preparation in Ancient Egypt

The two main beverages of Ancient Egypt were wine and beer. In order to make wine, grapes were harvested off the vine and placed into a winepress. Five to seven men would then enter the winepress and walk over the grapes until liquid drained into vats. After the majority of juice was collected, the grapes were placed into a cloth sack, and then twirled around sticks. This additional step ensured that any leftover juice was not wasted. Once all the juice was collected, it was stored in clay jars and sealed.  

In order to make beer, wheat, barley, or millet was crudely ground. One quarter of the grain was soaked in water and left in the sun to ferment; while the rest of the grain was worked into loaves of bread and baked so that the enzymes were not destroyed. The baked loaves of bread were then crumbled up and mixed with the soaked grain that had fermented. Water was then added and the entire mixture was allowed to further ferment. After the mixture fermented, it was filtered by a cloth to remove any lumpy texture found in the beer. Once the beer was filtered it was stored in large clay jars for later use. 

Egyptian Soccer in Jeopardy

The Egyptian Premier League soccer season is in jeopardy. Soccer (football) has been suspended in Egypt since February 1,when more than 70 fans died in fighting that broke out between rival groups. Thousands of fans have gathered to protest the delay of the season as well as the delay of the criminal trials involved in the deaths. This shows how sports and soccer in particular can be at the forefront of political action.

Graffiti in the Streets of Egypt

Egyptians are trying to make a political statement through their street artwork. The artwork is a reflection of the past 2 years in Egypt. Transitions from being angry and expressing protests under Mubarak's rule to optimism after the revolution was successful. But now street artists are not happy with the new government under Morsi. Angry graffiti is showing up again only to be painted over once again. A group of artists created a book called Walk Talk that helps document the art that was created through the revolution in Egypt but that is being destroyed.