A Philosopher Who Loathed Wine Hogs
One fun activity that Pythagoras enjoyed was to drink wine. For that matter, so did most ancient Greeks. However, the philosopher had a pet peeve when it came to drinking: he did not like wine hogs. Specifically, he did not like it when greedy friends filled their cups to the brim, and took more than their fair share of the wine. So to teach them a lesson, he invented a special cup that came to be named after him. Superficially, the Pythagorean Cup looks like a traditional ancient Greek goblet.
Inside, however, the Pythagoras cup contains a column that sticks up the middle. One can drink from it like from any other goblet, provided one does not try to fill it to the maximum. Pythagoras designed the cup so that if a drink companion became a wine hog and tried to fill it, it would instead drain all the wine and spill it out the bottom. Presumably, with wine spilled all over him – and the hassle of wine stain removal – the greedy friend would learn a lesson about the moderation.
