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Pithos

Greek term (mz. pithoi) for a large, thick-walled and bulbous vessel made of stoneware or clay. It was similar to an amphora, but in contrast to the latter it usually had a tapered bottom (so that it could be stuck in sand during transport) and a flat base. This meant that it could also be stored upright. The vessel, which could be over a man's height, had eyelets at the top through which ropes could be pulled for transport. The surface was smooth or structurally designed with ribbon patterns in beige, sand-coloured, brown and red ochre.

Use

Such vessels were used in ancient Greece, particularly in the Aegean cultural area, as storage and transport containers for grain, honey, olive oil, salt and wine, among other things, but also for burying the dead. 47 pithoi for wine were found in a cellar in Zagora on the Cycladic island of Andros.

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Dominik Trick
Technischer Lehrer, staatl. geprüfter Sommelier, Hotelfachschule Heidelberg

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