Latin name (mz. Dolia) for the clay vessel similar to an amphora with a capacity of up to several 1,000 litres, which was used by the Romans as a fermentation and storage container for wine. These were also buried in the ground. The picture on the left shows a find in the Villa Fanninus, named after its owner, in the village of Boscoreale at the foot of Mount Vesuvius. A wine press and a large fermentation courtyard were also found, in which the clay barrels were embedded in the ground. This villa was preserved during the volcanic eruption that completely destroyed Pompeii in 79 AD.

The picture on the right shows a find from the city of Antica Ostia (entrance, mouth), the harbour city of ancient Rome at the mouth of the Tiber. When the Romans learnt about the wooden barrel from the Celts and did not know a word for it, they translated dolium for barrel. Similar vessels are the Georgian kvevri, the Greek pithos (Greek), the Portuguese talha and the Spanish tinaja. See also under wine vessels.
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Roman Horvath MW
Domäne Wachau (Wachau)