Pithos facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Pithos |
|
|---|---|
|
|
 |
|
| Material | Ceramic |
| Size | Approximately the size of a human, some larger, some smaller. |
| Writing | Sometimes inscribed with an identifying mark. |
| Created | Neolithic, Bronze Age, Iron Age |
| Discovered | Most frequently at large administrative centers |
| Present location | Circum-Mediterranean |
| This article contains special characters. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols. |
A Pithos (pronounced PEE-thos) is an ancient Greek word for a very large storage container. Its plural form is pithoi (PEE-thoy). These huge ceramic jars were used by many civilizations around the Mediterranean Sea. They were common during the Neolithic (New Stone Age), Bronze Age, and Iron Age.
Pithoi were like giant barrels or drums from long ago. People used them to store large amounts of liquids, such as wine and olive oil. They also held grains and other food items. The Hittites, another ancient people, called similar containers harsi-.
Sometimes, when a pithos was no longer useful for storage, it found a new purpose. Its large size made it suitable for burials. In ancient Mycenae and Crete, people sometimes placed bones inside pithoi as a way to bury the dead. The Iberian culture of El Argar also used pithoi as coffins around 1500–1300 BC.
Most pithoi looked similar: they were ceramic jars, often as tall as a person. They had a flat base to stand on, curved sides, and a wide opening with a lid. This lid could be sealed tightly for safe transport.
These massive jars were too heavy for one person to move, especially when full. They often had handles or loops. These features helped people use ropes and cranes to lift and move the pithoi.
Pithoi were made and traded across the entire Mediterranean region. They were especially important in the Bronze Age for storing and shipping goods. Palaces used them to manage and distribute wine, olive oil, and other foods to their communities. This is why archaeologists often find pithoi when excavating ancient Minoan palaces on Crete and Mycenaean sites in Greece.
Today, the word "pithos" is used generally for any large ancient storage jar. Sometimes, even smaller pottery used for storage or transport is called a pithos. This can make it tricky for archaeologists to classify all the different types of ancient pottery.
Contents
Where Does the Word "Pithos" Come From?
The word pithos has a long history. It was used in ancient Greece as early as the time of Homer, a famous poet. Some language experts believe it comes from an older word meaning "container." This older word is also linked to the Latin word fiscus, which meant "purse."
However, the story of the word is a bit more complicated. When scholars started to understand Linear B, an ancient writing system from the Bronze Age, they found a symbol that looked like a small jar. This symbol, called Ideogram 203, was found in records from places like Pylos and Mycenae.
This symbol was often written as qe-to. Experts like Ventris and Chadwick thought it might mean "wine jar." But this qe-to symbol was not found at Knossos, where many large pithoi were discovered. This made them wonder if qe-to was a smaller type of jar, or if the word pithos itself came from a different language. Many pithoi from Crete are much older than the Mycenaean records and have writings in Linear A. So, pithos might have come from a Linear A word.
How Pithoi Were Made and Moved
Storing Goods in Pithoi
Pithoi were designed to hold a lot! One study calculated that a large pithos could hold almost 1,000 liters of liquid. If filled with water, this would weigh about a tonne (1,000 kg). Some pithoi were even bigger, holding over 2,000 liters, which would weigh more than two tons!
Because of their immense weight, especially when full, these giant pithoi were not easy to move. Experts believe that the largest ones were like "unmoveable furniture." They were often partly or completely buried in the ground inside storerooms. This made them stable and easier to access for filling and emptying.
Archaeologists have found evidence that these huge jars were placed in pits within storage rooms. It's likely they were brought in empty and then filled with goods. People would use smaller buckets or jars to transfer liquids or grains into the large pithoi.
Shipping Pithoi by Sea
Moving large pithoi was also a challenge for shipping. However, the very largest pithoi are not usually found in ancient shipwrecks. This suggests that only smaller ones were transported by sea.
For example, a shipwreck found at Uluburun from the Late Bronze Age carried about 10 pithoi. These pithoi, when full, would have weighed between 150 to 420 kg each. This was still too heavy for people to move by hand. Special equipment was needed to load them onto the ship and secure them in the cargo hold.
Some pithoi on the Uluburun ship were not filled with liquid. They acted as early "packing crates," holding delicate pottery. Another shipwreck off the coast of Turkey, at Sheytan Deresi, also carried pithoi. These were smaller, about half the height of the largest ones found at Knossos.
Ancient engineers, like Hero of Alexandria, even developed formulas to estimate the volume of these jars. This shows how important it was to know how much they could hold for trade and storage.
The Look of Pithoi
Decorations on Pithoi
The way a pithos was decorated often depended on its use. Pithoi used for rituals or burials sometimes had special designs. However, pithoi meant for shipping were usually plain. They were stored in warehouses or ship holds where their appearance didn't matter as much.
Storage pithoi, which might be seen in homes or administrative buildings, often had decorations. The neck and shoulders were typically adorned, especially if the jar was partly buried. Many large pithoi had raised bands of thicker clay. These bands strengthened the jar where different sections were joined together.
Potters expanded on these raised bands, creating repeating patterns around the upper body of the pithos. They would incise or stamp designs into the wet clay. Common patterns included spirals, zigzags, and waves. Some wave patterns looked like slack ropes. While these "rope patterns" were decorative, they were not meant for lifting. Actual ropes for lifting would have been part of a harness to distribute the weight.
If a pithos was small enough to be placed in a visible spot, its bands might feature colorful geometric patterns. These could be checkerboards or chevron designs. Some even had painted scenes, sometimes in relief (raised from the surface). These detailed scenes were just as beautiful as those on other painted pottery, and the large surface of the pithos allowed for even more intricate artwork.
See also
In Spanish: Pithos para niños
- Diogenes, who lived in a pithos
- Onggi
- Pandora's box (etymology)
