Lauren Dogaer, Lady Wallis Budge Junior Research Fellow in Egyptology at Univ, has created a podcast, Drunk on History, which focuses on alcohol usage and attempts at moderating it in the ancient world.

As an Ancient Historian and Egyptologist, Lauren believes that there is much to be learned from the societies that came before us. With this in mind, Drunk on History explores humanity’s complex relationship with alcohol – from ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia to Rome, Mesoamerica, India, China, and beyond. Together with experts, Lauren seeks to uncover how ancient civilizations used, abused, and understood alcohol and uncovers how drinking shaped cultures, rituals, and stories.

In the inaugural episode, titled “The Social Construct of Alcohol through the Ages”, Lauren is joined by renowned anthropologist Professor Michael Dietler, Professor of Anthropology at the University of Chicago for a discussion on the complex life of alcohol within human societies. The episode reveals how societies across history have defined alcohol, ritualised its consumption, and embedded it into systems of identity, power, and belief. The conversation brings together archaeology, anthropology, and social theory to reveal how drinking practices are shaped as much by politics and economics as by taste.

In the second episode, titled “Beer in Bronze Age Mesopotamia”, Lauren talks to Professor Tate Paulette of North Carolina State University, a leading expert in ancient urban food systems and Mesopotamian archaeology, and author of In the Land of Ninkasi: A History of Beer in Ancient Mesopotamia. Together, they explore the world of ancient Mesopotamia, unpacking the complexities of the region’s identity before turning their attention to one of humanity’s oldest beverages – beer. Their discussion of Mesopotamian beer and brewing practices dives into the cultural significance of beer in Mesopotamian society, highlighting its importance in community, culture and storytelling.

Each episode in Drunk on History will see Lauren joined by a different specialist as they explore a range of historic civilisations such as pharaonic Egypt, the Roman Empire, precolonial sub-Saharan Africa and Iron Age Europe

The project has been created in cooperation with the New Media Centre of the University of Basel, where Lauren completed her PhD.

You can listen to Drunk on History on Spotify and Apple podcasts or learn more about the podcast here.

Published: 8 April 2026

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