January 4, 2005
From the desk of Jane Galt:Fun fact of the day
From Encyclopedia Britannica's article on Bulgaria:
On the whole, however, relations with Byzantium were hostile, and the 8th century was marked by a long series of raids and larger campaigns in which the Byzantine forces were usually victorious. Bulgaria recovered under Khan Krum (803–814), who, after annihilating an imperial army, took the skull of Emperor Nicephorus I, lined it with silver, and made it into a drinking cup.
Talk about your Big Gulp . . . Posted by Jane Galt at January 4, 2005 11:28 AM | TrackBack | Technorati inbound links
Reminds me of how on the Simpsons Principal Skinner got fired and one of Nelson’s friends (the bald one IIRC) saw that he was still alive and asked “then whose skull have I been drinking beer out of?”
So the silver makes it sanitary? Or just watertight?
Both, Bob, though I imagine the Khan was more concerned with watertightness and not having funny tastes than with germs (as, well, he had no idea what they were, anymore than anyone else on Earth in the 9th century).
That and Khans and Emperors and such were all about drinkin' from silver, both because it's a precious metal and because of folk beliefs about it neutralising poison, IIRC.
"Khan Krum (803–814)"
So he was 11 when he accomplished this feat?
mike, those are probably his years of rule, not birth & death dates. Just guessing.
Another charming anecdote from the shared history of Bulgaria and the Roman (Byzantine) Empire:
At the battle of Kleidion, 29 July, 1014, Basil II "crushed the Bulgarians and took 14,000 prisoners. Basil was said to have blinded 99 of every 100 of the prisoners, with every 100th man left one eye to guide the rest home. Although probably an exaggeration, this gave Basil his nickname Bulgaroktonus, 'the Bulgar-slayer.'"
[From the Wikipedia article on Basil II, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basil_II]
Just the thing for the sophisticated soul who wants a good beer on his head.
Good idea for the President and Bin Laden's skull when we get him.
President doesn't drink anymore. Let Kerry do it for him.
I think silver was used because certain poisons would discolor it, thus giving warning to the drinker. I beleieve the Chinese Emperors used silver chopsticks (along with official food tasters) for the same reason.
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