The Pythagorean Cup (also known as the Pythagoras Cup) is one of Pythagoras’s lesser-known inventions. Depending on who you speak to, this rather plain looking cup was either meant to teach people a lesson in moderation or demonstrate the philosopher’s sense of humor.
Local traditions in Samos, Greece, claim that Pythagoras crafted the cup to inspire people to drink wine in moderation. Inside the cup there is a line that defines the maximum level of wine the cup can hold. A trickle above that line and the cup automatically empties its contents from a hidden hole in its base.
This artifact is also known as the “Cup of Justice” or “Greedy Cup,” since many scholars believe that Pythagoras—who apparently wasn’t much of a drinker—wanted to show his students and followers the detrimental effects of greediness in one’s life.