ITEM: Jug MATERIAL: Pottery CULTURE: Roman PERIOD: 1st - 3rd Century A.D DIMENSIONS: 167 mm x 153 mm CONDITION: Good condition PROVENANCE: Ex Jerusalem private collection, acquired between 1975 – 1990. Roman jugs, often made of terracotta, copper alloy, or glass, were essential items in daily life across the Roman Empire, serving various functions from domestic use to large-scale commerce. The most famous "jugs" were the amphorae—large, two-handled ceramic vessels characterized by a narrow neck and a distinctive pointed base. This pointed base was not a design flaw; it allowed the vessels to be efficiently stacked and secured upright in soft ground or packed tightly into the holds of cargo ships, maximizing space and preventing movement during long-distance transport. Amphorae were the standard shipping containers for vital trade goods like wine, olive oil, and garum (fermented fish sauce), with their shapes and markings (stamps, inscriptions) often indicating the commodity, region of production, and even the volume, with the amphora quadrantal serving as a standardized Roman unit of measurement. Beyond the massive transport amphorae, a wide array of smaller jugs and pouring vessels were used for serving and preparing food and drink in Roman households. These smaller containers fell into two broad categories: coarse wares and fine wares. Coarse wares were sturdy, thick-walled, and undecorated, used for cooking, general storage, and carrying liquids in everyday, working-class settings. Fine wares, on the other hand, were the Roman equivalent of high-quality tableware. These delicate vessels, which included jugs, cups, and dishes, were often made of the popular, glossy red pottery known as terra sigillata (or Samian ware) and featured decorative relief work, sometimes molded to imitate more expensive metalwork, reflecting a higher social status at the dinner table. The production of these vessels was an industrial-scale operation, allowing for standardization and massive distribution across the empire. Workshops used molds and specialized techniques to produce millions of pots, which is why pottery fragments are among the most common and valuable finds for archaeologists today. These fragments help date and map ancient trade routes, as seen in the enormous mound of broken amphorae outside Rome, Monte Testaccio, which is largely composed of oil jugs imported from Spain. Whether plain, functional coarse ware or highly decorative bronze jugs with handles terminating in symbolic human feet, Roman jugs were critical to the logistics, domestic practices, and cultural expression of the ancient world. Comes with Certificate of Authenticity and Export license. If you bid outside the European union and win the item, we will have to apply for an export licence for your country and shipping will take 3 to 5 weeks.