Beer-Drinking Straw

2350 BC - 2100 BC
Copper
Tell Asmar
73 cm x 1.0 cm x 1.2 cm
A11291

Oriental Institute Museum

Artifact Description

Beer-Drinking Straw

Beer, brewed from barley, was an important part of the ancient Mesopotamian diet. Because it contained a lot of floating residue, beer was either strained or drunk through a metal straw, such as this one, with a perforated end that acted as a filter.

Collected by

Henri Frankfort, Field Director of the Iraq Expedition
Excavated by The Oriental Institute 1932-1933

Multimedia

What is Conservation?
Ever wonder what a conservator does? Oriental Institute Museum conservator Laura Laura D'Alessandro tells you all about her job in this video.

Suggested Readings

Hunter, Erica. First Civilizations: Cultural Atlas for Young People. New York: Facts on File, 1994.

Kramer, Samuel Noah. Cradle of Civilization. Alexandria, VA: Time-Life Books, 1967.

Roaf, Michael. Cultural Atlas of Mesopotamia and the Ancient Near East. New York: Facts on File, 1990.

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