[German version]

(píthos, plural píthoi). The largest clay storage vessel of the Greeks (called dolium by the Romans), often taller than a man. Píthoi were made in specialised, sometimes travelling workshops and were shaped by hand on a slowly revolving wheel. They served as storage containers for wine, olive oil and grain on farms, in town houses and palaces. In the Minoan palace of Knossos píthoi were found in their original positions embedded in the floor of the storage room. A lower and more constant storage temperature which enhances the storage life of t…