Wine Jars

The photo shows a clay jar known as an amphora. Such jars varied greatly in size; the one shown here was about 100 cm (40 in.) high and could hold about 28 L (7 gal) of wine. The peg-shaped bottom of this kind of amphora made it possible for the jars to be stacked in the hold of the ships that transported them. In the Greco-Roman world, wine was a precious commodity. Greeks, Romans, and Jews of all social levels drank wine. It was often diluted with water. Much of the drinking water was polluted, and wine acted as a natural antiseptic, preventing the growth of bacteria. The apostle Paul advised Timothy: “Stop drinking just water, but take a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent cases of sickness.”​—1Ti 5:23, ftn.