3,200-Year-Old Egyptian Tablet Records Workers' Excuses: Brewing Beer, Hangovers

An ostracon — a limestone tablet — discovered in 1823 at Deir el-Medina near Luxor, Egypt, documents worker absences from around 3,200 years ago. The recorded excuses include brewing beer and suffering its after-effects. Egyptologist Jennifer Babcock explained that such tablets typically served as notepads for private letters, purchase records and daily affairs.