Barley Eurasian civilizations, as a whole, have survived and conquered others. Barley beer was probably one of the first alcoholic drinks developed by Neolithic humans. Barley later on was used as currency. The ancient Sumerian word for barley was "akiti". In ancient Mesopotamia, a stalk of barley was the primary symbol of the goddess Shala. Alongside emmer wheat, barley was a staple cereal of ancient Egypt, where it was used to make bread and beer. The general name for barley is "jt" (hypothetically pronounced "eat"); "šma" (hypothetically pronounced "SHE-ma") refers to Upper Egyptian barley and is a symbol of Upper Egypt.
Barley wine Barley wine Barley wine is a style of strong ale of between 6-11% or 8-12% alcohol by volume. It is also sometimes written as one word, barleywine. In Ancient Armenia, a style of fermented grain beverage was referred to as "κρίθινος οἶνος" ("krithinos oinos") - "barley wine", by the Greek historian Xenophon, who mentioned to have experienced it, while being in Armenia, in his work "Anabasis" and Polybius in his work "The Histories". These barley wines would be dissimilar to modern examples as their mention predates the use of hops (a key component in modern barley wines) by several centuries.