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[[image:hornbeakersmug.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Replica horn tankard and beakers.]]A '''tankard''' is a heavy mug, usually made of [[wood]], [[pottery]], [[leather]], [[horn]] or [[metal]] (with the latter being rarer the further back in history one goes), typically with a sturdy handle and a base wider than the mouth, for added stability.  

[[Wood]]en tankards (peg tankards) with wooden lids appear in [[Saxon]] households and drinking establishments around 800. Leather tankards were very common as [[pewter]] was still expensive.

In the early [[16th century]] parts of [[Germany]] passed laws requiring that all food and beverage containers had to be covered to protect against insects. This was achieved by adding a hinged lid with a thumblift.

[[Modern]] [[pewter]] or [[aluminum]] tankards with [[glass]] bottoms are very common, but not period.  The practice of making tankards with glass bottoms dates from the [[18th century]], when [[English]] and [[America]]n [[sailor]]s would be wary of "press gangs"; groups of men who would (on government orders) literally [[kidnap]] men to serve on ships of the Royal Navy, especially during the Napolenoic Wars.  A sailor on leave would carry a [[chit]] showing that he was already a crew member of a given ship, and therefore not eligible for impressment in another vessel.  Some of the more subtle press officers would randomly drop chits in assorted tankards, then round up "their" [[sailor]]s and take them "back to the ship".  A common practice by [[deserter]]s would be to drop their chits in other men's drinks and then quietly disappear, leaving the hapless stranger stuck with a place aboard ship.

==Tankards in the SCA==
Tankards are quite common at [[SCA]] [[event]]s, owing to their inexpensive nature; in [[North America]] tankards can be purchased at most [[Bargain Store|Goodwill]] or [[Bargain Store|Value Village]] stores for less than a dollar a piece.  Tankards were certainly used in [[period]] and look [[medjeeval]] enough that many in the SCA use them enthusiastically.

==Tankard Tips==
* In your [[drunk]]en stumbles at [[camping]] [[events]], such as [[Rowany]] or (even better) [[Pennsic]], you may like to attach your tankard to your [[belt]] with a [[chain]] so you don't lose it. There is little evidence to indicate that this is a historical practice.
* [[Wood]] is more likely to leak, but great for hot drinks, moderately durable (very durable if you don't but hot liquids in them) and sometimes lighter.
* Ceramic breaks easily (depending upon the particular ceramic), but is pretty, probably more common in period, but not the thing for your drinking spree.
* Metal cups and hot drinks are a recipe for disaster.  However, no matter how much you drop them, they can be beaten back into shape after a long night in the tavern, a great advantage.
* For maximum efficiency, drink [[beer]], [[cider]] and [[water]] from a tankard (you get more), and [[wine]] and [[mead]] from a [[goblet]] (you'll regret the hangover less in the morning).
* You can cover a plain metal tankard with a piece of leather, which can be painted with acrylic paint for decoration at an [[SCA]] event.

''See Also:''
* [[beaker]]
* [[cup]]
* [[drinking horn]]
* [[goblet]]

== External Links ==
* [http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/English/EventsExhibitions/Permanent/medieval/objects/record.htm?type=object&id=112721 Tankard, early 1500s]: A small salt-glazed stoneware tankard, probably made in the Maximinenstrasse pottery near Cologne cathedral

[[category:tableware]]
[[category:artefact (medieval)]]