Large terracotta container (dolium), with a capacity that could reach up to 700 liters, used for storing foodstuffs such as wine, oil, and grain.
In the cities destroyed by the eruption of 79 AD, these containers are often found built into the counters of shops, where they served for the sale and consumption of food and beverages.
Dolia intended for wine storage were typically buried in the wine cellars of farms in the Vesuvian area and waterproofed with pitch, following a technique well described by ancient authors. A notable example is the set of buried dolia with lids found at the so-called Villa Regina in Boscoreale, near Pompeii.
Wine was transported in various types of amphorae; the one on display here belongs to the most commonly used type of wine amphora in the western Mediterranean during the early Imperial period (late 1st century BC – 1st century AD).
