Dolium
A dolium ( Latin , plural dolia ) is a barrel-shaped clay vessel that was used in large parts of the Roman Empire for storage and storage.
Would
Dolia usually have a bulbous vascular body with or without a pronounced neck. The mouth is usually wide to allow easy removal of the contents. The edge shape protrudes inward and is usually designed horizontally. The cover was made with large lids made of wood or clay. The floor has a level surface. Due to their size, dolia were often formed using a construction technique with individual, superimposed strands, as the vessels for pottery wheels were usually too large. On the edge or the lid there are occasional incisions or graffiti with information on the content or weight.
The capacity of these clay barrels could be up to 2500 liters. They were especially made in the western Mediterranean . Smaller production facilities also existed in the Germanic provinces, for example in Augst or Cologne .
use
Functionally, the dolium replaced the pithoi . In contrast to the amphorae , the dolia were less used for transport than for storage. They were especially used for storing and fermenting wine . For this reason, they are often smeared with pitch on the inside.
Dolia are often found in storage rooms (cella vinariae) or in the courtyard of large villa complexes . They are also frequently found in the storage area of large overseas ports such as Ostia and Marseille (Massilia) . For better cooling, they were usually buried in the ground.
Like the amphorae and all of the heavy ceramics, dolia was later reused for secondary purposes. They could be used in large numbers to level a building site, while smaller fragments were used to build ovens and hearths. In settlements they were occasionally buried and used as urinals. After all, they are documented by finds in the funeral sector as a simple cover and coffin substitute or for salvaging the corpse fire.
literature
- Erich Gose: Types of vessels in Roman ceramics in the Rhineland. Cologne 1976, ISBN 3-7927-0293-2 , p. 31.
- Norbert Hanel : Heavy ceramics. In: Thomas Fischer (Ed.): The Roman Provinces. An introduction to their archeology. Theiss-Verlag, Stuttgart 2001, ISBN 3-8062-1591-X , pp. 300-302.
- Werner Hilgers : Latin vessel names. Names, function and shape of Roman vessels based on ancient written sources. Rheinland-Verlag, Düsseldorf 1969, p. 58 u. Cat.-No. 140
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ N. Hanel, Schwerkeramik , p. 301.