This 1,600-Year-Old Filter Helped Ancient Drinkers Sip Beverages Through a Straw
Archaeologists discovered an unusual bronze artifact studded with holes while excavating the ancient city of Hadrianopolis in Türkiye
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Roughly 1,600 years ago, residents of present-day Turkey loved to sip drinks like wine, beer and fruit juice. But they had a problem: These beverages often contained large grains, pulp and other unwelcome leftovers from the production process.
To combat these pesky impurities, they came up with an innovative solution: a reusable bronze filter that could be attached to a plant-based straw. Whenever they wanted to slurp their drink of choice, they could use the filter to prevent all the unwanted pieces from reaching their mouths.
That’s the scenario posed by archaeologists excavating the ruins of Hadrianopolis in western Turkey, according to an announcement from Karabük University.
While studying the ancient city last year, researchers unearthed an unusual object: Measuring 3.6 inches long, the bronze artifact was shaped like an ice cream cone and studded with holes. It was attached to a ring that was likely used to carry it around.
Archaeologists think someone in Hadrianopolis cleaned and reused the filter repeatedly during the fifth century C.E., by attaching it to the end of a straw fashioned from a reed or a cane. This handy device created a more pleasant drinking experience, according to Ersin Çelikbaş, an archaeologist at the university who is leading the excavation work at the site.
“Today, straws are made from plastic, but in the past, straws were made from plant materials, and with the addition of filtered bronze, people in antiquity enjoyed their drinks both more comfortably and more healthily,” Çelikbaş tells Türkiye Today.
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During the fifth century C.E., Hadrianopolis was a thriving agricultural hub where growers cultivated both grains and fruits. Barley, wheat, apples, grapes and pomegranates were all popular crops, and they were often used to make wine, beer and juices.
Named after the Roman emperor Hadrian, Hadrianopolis was inhabited from the first century B.C.E. to the seventh century C.E., which corresponds with the Late Chalcolithic, Roman and Early Byzantine periods. It was mysteriously and suddenly abandoned, possibly because of an earthquake or an invasion.
Archaeologists have unearthed a wide variety of artifacts and structures in the ancient city, which is also known as the “Zeugma of the Black Sea.” So far, their excavations have turned up churches, baths, a defensive structure, rock tombs, a villa, water cisterns, a castle, an outer city wall and other remnants. They’ve also discovered vibrant mosaics depicting animals and rivers.
Earlier this year, researchers at the site found two tokens made out of bone that they suspect Roman soldiers may have used to play board games during the fifth century C.E. Last fall, they also turned up a bronze pendant decorated with the image of King Solomon riding on horseback and using a spear to defeat the devil.
Turkey’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism has been organizing the excavation work at Hadrianopolis through an initiative known as the “Heritage for the Future Project,” according to All That’s Interesting’s Amber Morgan.
