Amphora

[gfish]

I've been on a Time Team watching kick recently. And it has left me wondering... why were amphora shaped that way?



It seems like a really stupid shape, particularly given their bulk carrier status.

Comments

[catsittingstill.livejournal.com]

Maybe they were intended to be buried in the dirt to keep the contents cool?

[ilmarinen.livejournal.com]

Definitely looks like you'd be setting them down into sand. Seems a good way to keep them from moving around on you.

-B.

[beaq.livejournal.com]

The article at the URL below seems to confirm my first thought, that they are stacked on their sides in interlocking rows, each layer with necks pointing outward on both sides. Also, easy to carry.

http://www.davidgibbins.com/Museums.htm

[sistawendy.livejournal.com]

I remember seeing an amphora stand somewhere, but I get the impression that the usual attitude in which they were stored was horizontal. You'd need an airtight plug to ship them by sea anyway, right?

[ishidav.livejournal.com]

grenade :D