NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020 * VOLUME 73, NUMBER 6 CONTENTS 44 Burial complex of Ptahshepses, Abusir, Egypt FEATURES 26 ALCOHOL THROUGH THE AGES How the magic of fermentation has transformed the human experience BY THE EDITORS 34 THE GREAT WALL OF MONGOLIA A nomadic medieval dynasty constructed a 450-mile barrier to help manage their sprawling empire BY DANIEL WEISS 44 IN THE REIGN OF THE SUN KINGS Old Kingdom pharaohs faced a reckoning that reshaped Egypt's balance of power BY ERIC A. POWELL 52 WEAVING FOR THEIR ANCESTORS For 1,000 years, the Paracas people of Peru expressed their vivid conception of life and death through textiles BY ROGER ATWOOD 38 CANADA'S FORGOTTEN CAPITAL Beneath the streets of Old Montreal, the rubble of a short-lived Parliament building offers a glimpse into a young country's growing pains BY JASON URBANUS archaeology.org Cover: Third-century a.d. mosaic depicting a drinking contest between Hercules and Dionysus PHOTO: Princeton University art MUseUM 1http://www.archaeology.org