The silver tube probably has useful antimicrobial qualities as well, considering how straws are kind of annoying to clean. Might not be a purely aesthetic choice!
@cemawi
3 жыл бұрын
As an Iraqi this straw has my vote!.... I might be biased 😁
@rhoddryice5412
3 жыл бұрын
The inclusion of the picture of Agatha Christie at the excavation is the tiebreaker for me. It’s really hard to not like both.
@sabrinatirabassi3529
3 жыл бұрын
Was it her husband's dig?
@marioacunapalacios4628
3 жыл бұрын
@@sabrinatirabassi3529 she met him there
@molybdomancer195
3 жыл бұрын
@@sabrinatirabassi3529 Sir Leonard Woolley was leading the dig but her future husband Sir Max Mallowan was one of his assistants
@knickknackit5340
3 жыл бұрын
Liked the golden buckle, but this beer straw is awesome
@Riplee
3 жыл бұрын
Your pfp helps me understand your preference
@JayJay-if5rl
3 жыл бұрын
Same here - was expecting to prefer the buckle but this wins for me on age alone. Both great videos.
@lucie4185
3 жыл бұрын
Yeah I love saxon art and they are lovely but a metre long gold silver and lapis straw is pretty much the definition of "ostentatious".
@elihinze3161
3 жыл бұрын
The buckle is gorgeous and fascinating, but anything ancient Mesopotamia will always get my vote. Plus, as someone who brings my own straw everywhere (albeit far less fancy), I feel in very good company. 😂
@juliaconnell
3 жыл бұрын
Remember folks "like" = VOTE between the two videos (please can we have a poll in "community" section next time - already want to LIKE both)
@rhoddryice5412
3 жыл бұрын
I was going to suggest the same thing.
@croos266
3 жыл бұрын
Can you imagine when preparing for your queenly burial... "musn't forget my gold straw for drinking beer in the afterlife!!!"
@pmarkhill519
3 жыл бұрын
That’s hilarious! 😂
@flamencoprof
3 жыл бұрын
03:06 Agatha Christie said “An archaeologist is the best husband a woman can have. The older she gets, the more interested he is in her.”
@ipadair7345
3 жыл бұрын
Anyone who cannot choose, don't vote instead spoil the ballot by voting both. It helps videos gain attraction.
@britishmuseum
3 жыл бұрын
The Ipad Air is speaking a lot of sense
@IanMcc1000
3 жыл бұрын
I voted for both on the Most Bovine one, because they were both excellent and I couldn't choose.
@烏梨師斂
3 жыл бұрын
Hey! I'm from Northeast Thailand and it's still traditional to drink beer like that with long straws! We have a big jar and we pour water in the jar as we drink
@olpika
3 жыл бұрын
Quite amazing that we could find a straw from these ancient times. Bonus points for the reference to Gilgamesh. Bonus points just because I like beer. (Honestly, I'm gonna like both videos. Good luck Gareth)
@britishmuseum
3 жыл бұрын
This is one of two videos we're releasing on the same day for our new series Curators Cornered. We've set two of our curators the same task - Present the 'Best Ostentatiously Decorated, Otherwise Mundane Object' that they are personally in charge of. How do we choose which one is truly 'best'... we don't. YOU DO (big responsibility right?). Video with the most likes by the end of the week is declared winner and that curator will go through to face another successful curator from another round. So like this... if you like it. To see Sue's best object: kzitem.info/news/bejne/pH2QraaQjJiGdpg
@pattheplanter
3 жыл бұрын
I believe you can pin your own comments (and other people's) so this will be seen first, no matter how many comments beer-lovers add. Dunno how, though.
@TheSuzberry
3 жыл бұрын
As we can vote for both, how does this work?
@pattheplanter
3 жыл бұрын
If you prefer one of them, don't like both?
@martyheresniak5203
Жыл бұрын
I loved the whole idea behind these, watched, and voted for Sue's Buckle and Jamie's Moo Glyph, and that was it? Of all the various types of videos you produce I enjoyed these the most. It's been a year. Will curators no longer be cornered?
@thinking_toomuch
3 жыл бұрын
Straws might be mundane to us, but they clearly had more important ritualistic purpose in Mesopotamia. So making them highly decorated makes sense. However, buckles serve the same purpose now as they did in medieval times, and are just as mundane today as they were then. Yet they decorated them anyway! Therefor, my vote for the most, "Ostentatiously Decorated Mundane Object" goes to the buckle.😄
@gaslitworldf.melissab2897
3 жыл бұрын
Straws to keep are making a comeback in the US. I own a few glass straws and now, after watching this, I'd like to build a small collection of decorated straws.
@chrisball3778
3 жыл бұрын
I ain't keeping one until it's a metre long and made of gold, silver and lapus lazuli from distant Afghanistan. That's a straw worth keeping.
@imjstcl
3 жыл бұрын
@@chrisball3778 I could imagine holding onto something like that for a few thousand years
@lucie4185
3 жыл бұрын
It definitely takes reusable items to a whole new level.
@98Zai
3 жыл бұрын
It's kinda like comparing a child's first drawing to a teenagers art project. They're both amazing considering the age. Very hard to choose.
@deelirious
3 жыл бұрын
I believe I am the winner because I enjoyed both videos a lot. I am not much for the competition format.
@ktdid627
3 жыл бұрын
I've seen fancy gold buckles before. I've never seen a meter long gold and lapis straw.
@thinghammer
3 жыл бұрын
Both of the comparable items are almost equally unbelievable. I had to like both. These videos are so good.
@MH-sk8qs
3 жыл бұрын
I have given alot of thought about straws, as I have worked on feeding skills with disabled children. It is a surprising complex sequence of chained motor events. Given that thought process; a meter plus straw to share a drinking experience definitely elevates this mundane tool to a higher level. I think we have a tie !!!
@aegresen
3 жыл бұрын
Am I going to vote for both? Sure. But if I had to choose, I'd choose this straw. It's amazing to think that such an object(that we take for granted, even more so than belt buckles) survived and provides a glimpse into the social culture of the Mesopotamian civilisation. Also, Agatha Christie at the site was an extra point, for sure.
@LeRoiJojo
3 жыл бұрын
Joke's on you, I'm liking both videos and you can't stop me.
@britishmuseum
3 жыл бұрын
kzitem.info/news/bejne/pK6BxaJ3a5uHi6w 😆🤣
@LeRoiJojo
3 жыл бұрын
@@britishmuseum 😂❤
@Apollyon1325
3 жыл бұрын
This is very cool, love ancient Mesopotamian culture but that belt buckle was very nicely done so I voted for it.
@HeinusHoratius
3 жыл бұрын
That IS a really big straw! :D
@ScotHarkins
3 жыл бұрын
"Unlike other curators..." Oh my, aren't you cheeky!?!?
@johnbellus9117
3 жыл бұрын
Fantastic series!
@Elizabeth-foolishmortal
3 жыл бұрын
The beer straw was my favorite. Ordering one on Amazon post haste.
@sybilvane645
3 жыл бұрын
I loved Sue ’s choice as well, but a one metre straw in gold, silver and lapiz lazuli is too much for my imagination..
@jon-paulfilkins7820
3 жыл бұрын
The Silver I can understand as it has Anti-Bacterial/Anti-Microbial properties, the size, well, they did drink from large and deep vessels, the gold and the lapis! That's pure ostentation for me! Now you expect a buckle to be a show off item, but a straw!
@saharahashaart2802
3 жыл бұрын
I think he said the gold and lapis is around a silver tube.🏵🔸🏵🔸🏵
@cargumdeu
3 жыл бұрын
I guess the nearest thing to it today is the Nepalese drink Tongba, fermented millet topped up with boiling water that you drink through a special straw. I have to say, 'ur' is about right! I'm voting for this as it seems a particularly apt example from history of social mingling and sharing in this time of amplified fear of each other.
@iamthe12th
3 жыл бұрын
Loved your description.
@msonner1
3 жыл бұрын
Excellent contest! And an even better contribution. Congrats!
@sleepycalico
3 жыл бұрын
Winner! I knew buckles could be be beautiful, but the straw is in a brand new world of magnificence.
@jeffkeith637
3 жыл бұрын
Sue’s buckle is astounding. But a decorative drinking straw? Wow.
@kenc2257
3 жыл бұрын
Voted for both--and a "thumbs up!" to the presenter's (almost) ironed shirt.
@juliaconnell
3 жыл бұрын
Oh bringing big guns with beer - this is going to be interesting... 🍺🍻🍿🍿🍿
@kaarlimakela3413
3 жыл бұрын
Now when I see those ancient people in relief in that 4,000 yr old art, I will know better what I am looking at. Straws. The very old vessel with the figures enjoying their beers with straws was VERY evocative!!! Tough decision. Gold buckles ... Also very good. She really gave life to likely social stressers caused by a surge in materials available only to a privileged few ... and I strongly agree ... The effect was more profound than people realize. We have trouble seeing this forest for the trees because we still suffer from these social distinctions emblemized by perceived-value magic, hoarding behavior, oh so many human weaknesses come to the fore ... also evocative. Well. STRAW WINS BY A HAIR!!! This is the only place where my vote will appear. 🙂 .
@nullnullsjo
3 жыл бұрын
Beer drinking queens? You've got my vote! Also you need to sell replicas of these in the shop, I need it for my beer.
@mudgetheexpendable
3 жыл бұрын
You've got my vote, Gareth. And when the Museum makes the gift-shop version, AS IT MUST, I will insist they give you a cut of the sale price. signed, An American (obviously) Beerfan
@1LittleBlackBox
3 жыл бұрын
I liked this because he made his argument in A shorter period of time and with more interesting information. Also, I think straws are more mundane and buckles are known to sometimes be very ornate more than straws. I loved the buckle, the craftsmanship was gorgeous. But seeing a straw that impressive really met the challenge imo. Thanks! This was fun!
@dottythefirst114
3 жыл бұрын
So sorry, I love both...
@MiaHessMusic
3 жыл бұрын
Super interesting!!! Really enjoyed this.
@MGMan-ce7sf
3 жыл бұрын
Sue's incisive analysis of compensation through ostentation was a compelling treatise but Gareth went right to the heart of things by invoking "beer, food and sex". Well played, Gareth.
@charlesvanderhoog7056
3 жыл бұрын
This straw for beer drinking is at par with the game board of the Game of Ur by Finkel because of its rarity and unexpectedness.
@KevinSLogan
3 жыл бұрын
Definitely the stranger ornate mundane object, nice pick
@radiklfred
3 жыл бұрын
I feel bad for having to choose, but I had to cast my vote for this one. Decorative buckles have been a thing for a long time, but something that our society has come to view as disposable being made so beautiful? Very nice.
@susanwoodcarver
3 жыл бұрын
Would have preferred info on how the straw was made. That would have been fascinating...rather than pictures of the other items in the tomb...except for the vessel the straw was found next to. Going back to vote for Sue.
@mch12311969
3 жыл бұрын
This is tough, I already voted for Sue's artifact, but this is cool too.
@lili_dee
3 жыл бұрын
I've seen elaborate belt buckles (watch any cowboy flicks lately?) but this... I don't know if you get more common than a straw (just ask the sea turtles), or more OTT than making it out of precious metals and stones. You have my vote, sir.
@ipadair7345
3 жыл бұрын
Since this one is big, I would've voted for this. Except I've to choose a mundane item, which a big straw really ain't
@Riplee
3 жыл бұрын
Hmm that's a hard thing to guess considering the title/thumbnail says "beer *drinking"* lol If you said booze I might've thought it was a fancy swizzle stick...
@V.Hansen.
3 жыл бұрын
The buckle is more elaborate with more skilled workmanship, but it is not as surprising to have an elaborate buckle. People have made fancy clothes and clothing accessories for forever. I say the elaborate straw is more surprising. I never would have thought of such a thing. To drink directly from huge vessels instead of cups is surprising also. And it’s so old.
@bulock3
3 жыл бұрын
Buckle or straw...... I like beer but the clasp is much more secure in the long run
@jonhcarolina
Жыл бұрын
Sue got my vote but just barely. Your choice is so compelling and interesting and conveys so much info and something I never thought about. Thanks so much for the information.
@Angayasse
3 жыл бұрын
LOVE this!!!!!!!!!
@jakobraahauge7299
3 жыл бұрын
I love how these have absolutely amazing hair! And straws? Obviously you haven't met my niece - straws are super important 😄🎉
@jamesleonard2870
2 жыл бұрын
What about the turtles?? Kidding, awesome vid! I’m thirsty now =] 🌱☀️🌊🏄♂️
@marknakayama239
3 жыл бұрын
The person who had this straw must have loved the beer! Beer snob of Egypt with the a twisty mustache! This straw is made with silver. Which as already stated is an anti-microbial. Making the flavor of the beer the best possible quality. Imagine how amazing it must have felt at the time to pull a cold clay vessel of beer freshly fermented from the cellar and set it up for you and your loved ones. Then on the same hot day dunk your beautiful straw decorated with the the stones and metals of the gods into the bottom of the vessel and draw up the first and coldest sip from the bottom with the best flavor possible at the time. Oh yeah!!! I would definitely drink a beer with the person who owned that straw!
@juliaconnell
3 жыл бұрын
Ok - this has my vote - I was so impressed by the workmanship on Sue's object - but as ordinary as a buckle is, THAT one would have served a purpose (surely would have been actively worn & displayed as a status symbol...) - where this is just showy for the sake of being showy - of course you cant have a queen sipping beer out of a reed...!!! - but metre long gold, silver & lapis straw, probably used in private (or maybe in front of her court - but not in public - as the other object was likely to be) So THIS *gets my vote* - plus I never knew about beer straws - fascinating
@MrKing889
3 жыл бұрын
"He wants you to guess it in the beginning" Answer literally in the title. Love it!
@colincomber8027
3 жыл бұрын
The Uruk Straw is clearly the winner
@constipatedinsincity4424
3 жыл бұрын
I am using a golden straw right now!
@anthonyragan2696
3 жыл бұрын
I wonder what the Sumerian for "Mmmm... beer!" is?
@erepsekahs
2 жыл бұрын
Dear British Museum, please never stop uploading this type of video to youtube. Civilization would die.
@thevideoman12
3 жыл бұрын
I found the channel due to the game of Ur, subbed, and the first other video i watch has the game of Ur in it. This made up for the 6h i waited for this 6 min video :D
@darkmetaller63
3 жыл бұрын
Sorry, I can't decide. I love both.
@krismontykrismonty
3 жыл бұрын
Interesting. I guessed a wand or measuring stick from an important building. A lager stick. Must have had a posh owner 👌🏻
@doggedout
3 жыл бұрын
Pretty smart really. Chaff and husks would float to the top during fermentation. Straw lets you get below the surface so the serious work of drinking (because you damn sure did not want to drink the water) could get underway. Lot less trouble than inventing the colander I guess...
@bsmithhammer
3 жыл бұрын
Gonna have to give this one to Gareth!
@bonesb7686
3 жыл бұрын
You win. Even today we decorate all elements of satchels and bags elaborately. But I would not bother waste precious metal on something I am only going to use a couple times.
@MrNullifier
3 жыл бұрын
As a beer enthusiast I am intrigued by this object and the story associated to it 👍
@skirtedgalleons
3 жыл бұрын
That's the last straw for me
@mononoke721
3 жыл бұрын
A golden buckle is pretty chic and all, but a golden, silver and lapis lazuli beer drinking straw takes the cake. It's not every day you see one of those.
@ipadair7345
3 жыл бұрын
4:45 the people look like bugs, specifically those which've a proboscis( like a mosquito, or a butterfly for those who wish to be flowery)
@griffinrogerss
3 жыл бұрын
Interesting!
@bronxbaubles
2 жыл бұрын
I vote for this video. I’m obsessed with straws.
@marcuswardle3180
3 жыл бұрын
It’s to do with beer. Got my vote!
@ElizabethJones-pv3sj
3 жыл бұрын
Beer makes the liver happy? That's an unusual claim.
@Nona-fk2hp
3 жыл бұрын
I thought the same. I wonder if it is because the liver has been associated with anger since ancient times and many people tend to lighten up and become happier while drinking beer? Just the first idea that came to mind.
@vickiibendit943
3 жыл бұрын
Amazing!
@SM-Flyers
3 жыл бұрын
As a fan of the movie Silence of the Lambs, I am a little concerned about the dress form in Gareth's background. LOL!
@GaryJohnWalker1
3 жыл бұрын
I'll go with that - beer drinking makes the liver happy. Shall drink to Ninkasi the next time I open a bottle.
@hollieeverafter2347
3 жыл бұрын
The straw has my vote. I’ve seen plenty of ostentatious belt buckles, but a gold and lapis STRAW?! that’s pretty darn extra.
@leehaseley2164
3 жыл бұрын
This wins hands down!
@alocino96
3 жыл бұрын
i will vote Gareth's video becouse i think a straw that you can show in every drinking occasion is more ostentatios than a buckle, because it's easier to notice, but liked Sue's video more, because gold.
@pRahvi0
3 жыл бұрын
I'm fighting to resist the urge to crack a straw joke...
@jonathanpickles2946
3 жыл бұрын
This is amazing.
@martyheresniak5203
Жыл бұрын
Disappointed this series didn't continue. They were fun.
@sailorstarfairy1
3 жыл бұрын
I pick the straw because who makes their straw of gold and lapis lazuli? I mean the utility effect of the buckles being reusable and something we associate as reusable means it's something you are likely to find at dig in the first place. Straws are thought of as disposable then (reed) as they are now (plastic) and while we do have reusable ones now (stainless steel) aren't likely to see ones decorated like one ancient ones here are.
@williamturechek2911
3 жыл бұрын
Can't choose. I like my beer. However, I am also a leather crafter. So those buckles...............well I wish I had those to use in my work. I have to vote for both here.
@Tabtabtabtoycollection
3 жыл бұрын
I see beer, I liked
@ipadair7345
3 жыл бұрын
Someone wrote about putting a poll in community tab, but it would be problematic for those who cannot acsess the community tab. I think making two unlisted empty videos and putting a link to them in the videos of the contestants.
@Terry-op5zb
2 жыл бұрын
had my vote as soon as I saw the gold and lapis, I knew exactly what it was. But I am a lover of ancient history over mid-evil... sorry Sue
@crumblefest
2 жыл бұрын
Gareth is Great...
@MultilinguaBlog
3 жыл бұрын
This is amazing!
@sanguma
3 жыл бұрын
now this is the last straw for me. fine. ill give the video a like
@deejayk5939
3 жыл бұрын
Do the straws bend?
@arkboy3
3 жыл бұрын
Vital component/precursor to the beer-bong.
@lili_dee
3 жыл бұрын
When I was a student, there was a theory going around that drinking beer through a straw made you get drunk more quickly. Has anyone else heard about that, or tested it?
@frankwerner6355
3 жыл бұрын
I have. Not true, sadly.
@saxlaxdm10
2 жыл бұрын
"Drinking beer makes the liver happy" I wonder if they saw the massive livers of their most avid beer drinker and assumed it must be a pleasing substance for the organ!
@lorenzodipretoro552
3 жыл бұрын
Liked both
@professorsogol5824
3 жыл бұрын
In the photo of Ms Christie with Professor Woolley, who might the gentleman on the left be? Could that be Max Mallowan, soon to the second "Mr. Christie"?
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