The Ancient Minoans Liked to Party Hard—and They Had Their Own 3,500-Year-Old Version of the Solo Cup

What’s the ancient equivalent of
today’s iconic plastic red Solo cup, beloved at frat parties and
picnics alike? It might be this disposable cup used to drink wine
at feasts 3,500 years ago, which will go on view at the British
Museum in London on Friday.

The ceramic receptacle was made
on the island of Crete during the Minoan period, dating between
1700 and 1600 BC. It will be on display as a highlight of the
exhibition “Disposable? Rubbish and us.” While the cup may at one
point have been considered garbage, it’s now prized for its
historical and social relevance. 

The Minoans, who are recognized
as one of the first advanced civilizations in Europe, mass-produced
the conical-shaped clay vessels over centuries, with the cup in
London being one of thousands that were recovered in high
concentrations at archaeological digs. Such findings indicate that
the items were often intentionally disposed of in one fell
swoop—most likely after a wine-fueled gathering. 

“Three and a half thousand years ago, the
Minoans were using the cups for a very similar reason to us today:
to serve drinks at parties,” said exhibition co-curator Julia Farley in a press
statement. “People were getting together in large groups and much
like today, nobody wants to do the washing up,” she cheekily added
to The
Guardian.

The artifact will be exhibited
alongside other goods, including a waxed paper cup from the 1990s,
commissioned by Air India for one-time use with hot drinks on
airplanes, and a yellow fishing basket created from the plastic
wrappings that perpetually wash up on the shores of Guam in the
Pacific Ocean.

“Disposable? Rubbish and
us” opens following mounting
pressure on the British Museum from environmentalists who protest
its ties to the oil company BP. In a statement regarding the
exhibition, the institution emphasized the importance of remaining
environmentally aware, explaining: “Museums too must play their
part in reducing waste. The British Museum is striving to lessen
its environmental impact, with all waste being either recycled or
burned and converted to electricity.”

Hartwig Fischer, Director of the British Museum, further
commented, saying, “we hope that this display will make people
think about their relationship with rubbish, then, now and in the
future.” 

The post The Ancient Minoans Liked to Party Hard—and They
Had Their Own 3,500-Year-Old Version of the Solo Cup appeared
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