Alike but different. Drinking vessels in the Eastern Mediterranean around 2500-2000 BC

The archaeological evidence from the Levant, Anatolia and the eastern Mediterranean basin documents the appearance of specialized drinking sets in those regions from around the mid-3rd millennium BC, including vessels for serving (pitchers, jugs and the so-called teapots) and drinking liquids (mugs, handled cups, goblets, beakers and cups), most likely alcoholic beverages (beer or wine), suggestive of regional independent productions elaborated from different prototypes that may document diverse drinking behaviours adopted at various places. On the other hand, the evidence for hybridization among local shapes and foreign styles and for the presence of non-local vessels at several key sites suggests wider inter-regional connections among various communities. The articlereview the evidence for drinking vessels from the second half of the 3rd millennium BC in different areas within the Levant. We propose that the spatial distribution of various techno-stylistic traits at different sites and regions is suggestive of diversified symbolisms of drinking among coastal and inland areas and provide a preliminary explanation for this phenomenon.