Sumerian Straws and Communal Beer

Around 5000 BCE, the Sumerians and Egyptians invented the first drinking straws, not for luxury, but for practicality. Early beer was unfiltered and filled with grain sediment, so drinkers used long reeds and hollow tubes to sip the liquid from large communal jars. These ancient straws, made from natural materials and sometimes even gold, turned messy brewing into a cleaner, more social ritual.

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