“We are doing what human beings have always done but we are doing it on an unprecedented scale with materials that are going to take hundreds, if not thousands of years, to biodegrade.”
trustee of the British MuseumThe ancient clay cup is 3,500 years erstwhile and was likely used to drink wine at Minoan feasts .
The uncovering of chiliad of ancient 3,500 - year - sure-enough disposable cups seems to have put a fleet end to the notion that modern civilizations introduced the throwaway cup . According toThe Guardian , the clay vessels were unearthed from archeologic sites on the Hellenic island of Crete .
One of the first modern civilisation of Europe , the Minoans — who lived on Crete — most likely used the cups to drink in wine , researchers believe . allot toThe Washington Post , one of these wine-coloured vessels will be displayed alongside a paper cup from the 1990s at the British Museum .
Trustees of the British MuseumThe ancient clay cup is 3,500 years old and was likely used to drink wine at Minoan feasts.
adequate parts endear and uncheerful , the fact that we as a species have prioritized comfort over the environment for K of years is a striking reminder of how little we ’ve changed . For British Museum curator Julia Farley , the exhibit will ideally leave alone people pondering their mundane choices .
“ Just like us , they did n’t want to wash up , ” enjoin Farley . “ In one way , it shows this universal desire for convenience . But today , we ’re making more than 300 billion disposable paper cup every year as a species . It ’s so completely different in term of the scale . ”
British MuseumOne of the yard of cup will be displayed in an exhibit at the British Museum .
British MuseumOne of the thousands of cups will be displayed in an exhibit at the British Museum.
“ People may be very surprised to know that disposable , individual - exercise loving cup are not the conception of our mod consumerist guild , but in fact can be traced back one thousand of twelvemonth , ” said Farley .
The Minoans frequently gathered for parties at the castle on Crete . With lavish banquet and festival , they exhaustively enjoyed their civilisation ’s successes and celebrated in fashion . Farley explicate that “ the elite were showing off their wealth and status ” by hosting these events .
regrettably , sizable gatherings often lead to a diffusion of obligation — and the Minoans were no different in this respect .
“ People were dumbfound together in large group and much like today , nobody wants to do the washing up , ” she say . “ As well as being convenient , the cupful was a means of showing off wealthiness because of all the resources ‘ poured into making it . ' ”
As such , the disposable cup retained yet another inherent feature besides its gadget . Namely , that the very act of throwing it away meant one was well off . In that sense , one can see a finish of wanton disposable behaviour not unalike from the one we see thriving today .
“ This is a sobering subject matter about ordered series and expenditure and I remember we require to find that balance , which humans have never been very good at finding , ” said Farley .
“ Human beings have always produced wish-wash , ” said Farley . “ Making some rubbish is an unavoidable by - product of being human . We are tool - using animals . We wear clothes . Nothing lasts everlastingly . It ’s in the very nature of our existence that we make rubbish . ”
Of course , while the Minoans made disposable cups , they were made of Lucius Clay and at a glaringly small scale . They for certain disposed of them lazily , just as we do today , but they did so while building a remarkable Bronze Age civilization staring with palace , art , and a written language .
As for us , the stark line is mark by excess and environmental numbness . As such , while we ’ve clearly not changed too much regarding our behaviour — perhaps we should , as our ability to damage the major planet has decidedly develop stronger over the years .
As Farley put it , “ we are doing what human being have always done but we are doing it on an unprecedented scale with materials that are going to take hundreds , if not thousands of long time , to biodegrade . ”
While investigator have thousands of these ancient corpse vessel at their disposal , just one is confirmed to go on exhibit next to its modern counterpart . Other point will include a fishing field goal made from credit card wrapping , and photos depicting the pollution across the Pacific Ocean .
After learning about the ancient 3,500 - year - older disposable Minoan clay cups , take aboutnewly - discovered stiff suggesting the earliest homo came from Europe , not Africa . Then , learn aboutthe Hellenic farmer who accidentally discovered a 3,400 - yr - old Minoan grave .
