Archaeologists unearth ancient beer factory in Abydos
Cairo, Feb 14: American and Egyptian archaeologists have unearthed what could be the oldest known beer factory at one of the most prominent archaeological sites of ancient Egypt, a top antiquities official said Saturday.
Mostafa Waziri, secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said the factory was found in Abydos, an ancient burial ground located in the desert west of the Nile River, over 450 kilometers (280 miles) south of Cairo.
He said the factory apparently dates back to the region of King Narmer, who is widely known for his unification of ancient Egypt at the beginning of the First Dynastic Period (3150 BC- 2613 BC).
Archaeologists found eight huge units — each is 20 meters (about 65 feet) long and 2.5 meters (about 8 feet) wide. Each unit includes some 40 pottery basins in two rows, which had been used to heat up a mixture of grains and water to produce beer, Waziri said.
The joint mission is co-chaired by Dr. Matthew Adams of the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University, and Deborah Vischak, assistant professor of ancient Egyptian art history and archaeology at Princeton University. Adams said the factory was apparently built in this area to provide royal rituals with beer, given that archaeologists found evidences showing the use of beer in sacrificial rites of ancient Egyptians.
British archaeologists were the first to mention the existence of that factory early 1900s, but they couldn’t determine its location, the antiquities ministry said. (AP)
Texas braces for historic Arctic Blast
Houston, Feb 14: Houston and most of Texas is bracing for a historic Arctic blast expected to dump inches of snow, cripple life, glaze roadways in ice and send temperatures plummeting to near-record lows. A Winter Storm Warning has been issued for parts of southeast Texas from 9 pm Saturday until 6 pm Monday.
Sporadic power outages will be a possibility. Pipes and sprinkler systems may burst if not properly cared for in advance, officials have said.
Temperatures will remain stuck in the 30s all weekend, before the winter storm and arctic air blow on Sunday night and Monday morning. The National Weather Service issued winter storm warnings or watches for most of the state.
Wintry weather may begin in some locations very early Sunday morning. The Houston region has not experienced such cold, arctic conditions for more than three decades.
Houston’s all-time record low temperature of five degrees Celsius was recorded in 1930, according to Space City Weather. Most businesses, educational institutions will be shut down Monday and Tuesday, anticipating winter freeze.
Hospitals have rescheduled appointments and elective surgeries. Governor Greg Abbott issued a disaster declaration in all 254 counties in response to severe winter weather that is impacting Texas.
The governor is continuing to deploy state resources available to assist local officials in their response efforts. (PTI)