Ceramic Amphora
Why did ancients use jars with round bottoms?

Ancient Greeks stored and transported all sorts of commodities in amphora, which are ceramic vases with rounded or pointy bottoms that can't sit upright on a flat surface. Egyptians also made many round-bottomed containers that had to be held in tripods or something like that to remain upright. Since these usually contained oil, wine, or other liquids it seems like such an unstable bottom makes no sense. What is the purpose of these rounded or pointy bottoms?

Small bases allowed them to be stuck in the sand to keep them upright, seems to be the conventional wisdom.



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