The Roman Sucking Glass: How the Ancient World Upgraded the Breast Pump

By Ece · Founder of Idaho Jones, pumping mom
Pump It Up · Episode 2

Last week we introduced the guttus, the ancient Greek ceramic vessel that used a water vacuum to express breast milk as far back as 400 BC. It was practical, it was clever, and it worked. But the Romans looked at it and decided they could do better.

They were right.

From passive to active

The Greek guttus was a passive device. You filled it with water, pressed it to the breast, drained it, and let the resulting vacuum do the work. It required no real skill and delivered modest, gentle suction.

The Romans invented sucking glasses — glassware tools that worked like drinking straws. Mothers held the bulb end on their breasts while sucking on a long spout until milk was drawn out (Pumpables).

The mother was no longer waiting for physics to do the work. She was controlling the suction herself — its strength, its rhythm, its duration.

That is a more sophisticated approach to the same problem, and it gave the user far more control over the process.

What it looked like

The sucking glass had two main components: a round glass bulb that sat against the breast, and a long narrow spout extending from the side. The mother placed the bulb end over her nipple and applied suction through the spout with her own mouth. Milk collected in the bulb and could then be transferred to the infant.

There was also a second method that did not require the mother to do the sucking herself: one could fill the bulb with hot water, empty it, and place the heated vessel over the nipple to create a vacuum as it cooled. This is essentially the same principle as the Greek guttus — heat and cooling creating suction — but refined into a more controlled, purpose-built shape (Medela).

What problem was it solving?

For most of its history, the breast pump had been used for short-term crises: providing milk for an infant too weak to nurse, bolstering milk supply, allowing damaged nipples to heal, treating retracted nipples, and relieving engorged breasts to prevent infection (Ameda).

The sucking glass addressed most of these. For a mother with retracted or inverted nipples, the sustained suction of the glass spout could draw the nipple outward enough to make latching possible for the infant. For a mother with mastitis or cracked nipples too painful for direct nursing, it allowed milk to be expressed and fed separately. For a premature or weak infant who couldn't generate enough suction themselves, it meant the difference between receiving breast milk and not.

Why glass?

Roman glassblowing had reached a remarkable level of sophistication by the early centuries AD. Custom shapes were achievable, surfaces could be made smooth enough for body contact, and glass was far easier to clean than ceramic. It did not absorb odors or residue in the same way, and it allowed the mother to see exactly how much milk had been collected.

It was a genuine material upgrade — not just a stylistic one.

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How long did it last?

Sucking glasses are generally believed to have become popular in the 1500s, although some may have been found at Eastern European sites dating to as early as 200 CE. Their design was first published in 1577 and changed very little until the late 19th century (Medela).

That is a remarkable span. A device the Romans developed, in some form, persisted largely unchanged for well over a thousand years.

Next week

Why glass sucking devices dominated for over a thousand years — and the specific historical circumstances that drove demand for them to an entirely new level. Subscribe to get it in your inbox, or follow along on Instagram and Pinterest.

Pump It Up is a weekly series on the history of breastfeeding and breast pumping. New episodes drop every week on Instagram and Pinterest.