Amphora Factory

As with many other items, the Romans took the basic design of the amphora from the Greeks. Terracotta amphorae were vase-shaped containers usually lined with a resin to make them watertight and all had two handles attached to the neck. They were used to store and transport everything from wine and olive oil to cereals and salt, and made by the thousand. In fact, they were so plentiful that after their contents had been used they were usually smashed rather than kept or returned. Many different types of amphorae have been found, but the standard wine amphora held around forty litres. They were crucial to trade across the Empire and thousands have been found intact at the bottom of the Mediterranean due to shipwrecks and a watery end to their travels!