Transport Amphoras

Amphoras were large pottery containers used for shipping goods in bulk. The form originated with the Late Bronze Age "Canaanite jar," a large two-handled jar common throughout the eastern Mediterranean. These Cypriot amphoras and jars range from the Iron Age to the Roman period; the button-shaped bottom made them easy to stack in the angled hull of a ship, and the narrow neck prevented spills and minimized evaporation of liquid contents. Amphoras might contain various things, such as wine or oil; wider-mouth types (or pithoi - large store jars) held other foodstuffs, as well as dry goods such as pottery for shipment.