Amphora

An amphora (plural: amphorae or amphoras) is a type of vase-shaped, usually ceramic (specimens in materials such as metal occur occasionally) container with two handles and a long neck narrower than the body. The word amphora is Latin, derived from the Greek amphoreus (αμφορεύς), an abbreviation of amphiphoreus (αμφιφορεύς), a compound word combining amphi- ("on both sides", "twain") plus phoreus ("carrier"), from pherein ("to carry"), referring to the vessel's two carrying handles on opposite sides.

Further, the term also stands for an ancient Roman unit of measurement for liquids. The volume of a Roman amphora was one cubic foot, ca. 26,026 L.

Amphorae were used in vast numbers to transport and store various products, both liquid and dry, in the ancient Mediterranean world and later the Roman Empire, and in some periods the shape was also used for luxury pottery, which might be elaborately painted. Stoppers of perishable materials which have rarely survived were used to seal the contents. Two principal types of amphorae existed: the neck amphora, in which the neck and body meet at a sharp angle; and the one-piece amphora, in which the neck and body form a continuous curve. Neck amphorae were commonly used in the early history of ancient Greece but were gradually replaced by the one-piece type from around the 7th century BCE onwards. Most were produced with a pointed base to allow upright storage by being partly embedded in sand or soft ground. This also facilitated transport by ship, where the amphorae were tightly packed together, with ropes passed through their handles to prevent breaking or toppling during rough seas. In kitchens and shops amphorae could be stored in racks with round holes in them.

Woman rescues 5-year-old son from mountain lion's jaws

Edit Business Insider 19 Jun 2016

DENVER (AP) - Summoned by the sound of screams, a Colorado woman raced to her front yard to find a terrifying sight. A mountain lion was hunched over her 5-year-old son, biting him. The woman charged the animal, yanked away one of its paws and discovered her son's whole head was in its mouth. She didn't back down. "She was able to pry the cat's jaws open," Pitkin County Sheriff's Deputy Michael Buglione said. "She's a hero." ... ....

photo: AP / Olivier Matthys

Police officers guard the entrance as a car arrives at the federal court building in Brussels on Thursday, June 9, 2016. A Belgian judge will decide Thursday whether to satisfy a French request to extradite Mohamed Abrini, a suspect in the Brussels Airport bombing.

Belgian police arrest 12 in huge anti-terror operation

Edit The Irish Times 18 Jun 2016

Twelve people suspected of planning new terror attacks were arrested in Brussels on Friday and Saturday after police carried out about 40 house searches across Belgium, the federal prosecutor’s office said in a statement. It said a total of 40 people had been questioned after the raids. “In connection with a criminal investigation concerning terrorism... ....

photo: Public Domain / Facebook/ Attanai Thaiyuanwong

gaint lizard tries to enter home in Thailand

Video: Godzilla-sized lizard tries to enter home in Thailand

Edit Deccan Chronicle 17 Jun 2016

How often do you see a Godzilla-sized lizard knocking your door? On Wednesday a Thai resident captured a video of his encounter with a giant reptile, who was knocking on his door trying to get into his house. Attanai Thaiyuanwong found this huge lizard trying to make his way into his place and within no time shared the photos of it on Facebook ...   . ....

photo: Creative Commons / Gage Skidmore

Congressman Paul Ryan of Wisconsin speaking at CPAC 2011 in Washington, D.C.

GOP Wants to Declare War On Islamic Ideology In Wake Of Orlando Shooting

Edit WorldNews.com 17 Jun 2016

Article by WN.com Correspondent Dallas DarlingRepublicans are giving a whole new meaning to Carl Von Clausewitz’s famous military theory “war is the continuation of Politik by other means.” ... “Groups like ISIS want to claim that they are the true leaders of over a billion Muslims…who reject their crazy notions” said the president ... Indeed, some view it as either a conservative or liberal movement dependent on their notion of Islam....

photo: NASA / James Yungel

File - Ice on the Ellsworth Range in Antarctica as seen from NASA's DC-8 flying science laboratory during an Operation IceBridge mission over Antarctica on Oct. 22, 2012.

'We’re Officially Living in a New World': Antarctica Hits Highest CO2 Level in 4 Million Years

Edit Alternet 17 Jun 2016

Earth's most remote continent has officially caught up to the rest of the planet. That spells disaster for us all. We’re officially living in a new world. Carbon dioxide has been steadily rising since the start of the Industrial Revolution, setting a new high year after year. There’s a notable new entry to the record books. The last station on Earth without a 400 parts per million (ppm) reading has reached it. A little 400 ppm history....

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Exhibit explores ancient Roman 'designer' labels, trademarks

Edit Austin American Statesman 16 Jun 2016

Entitled "Made in Roma," the elaborately detailed show runs until Nov ... (AP Photo/Fabio Frustaci) ... (AP Photo/Fabio Frustaci) ... ___ ... ___ ... In this Monday, June 13, 2016 photo, a visitor walks by amphoras during the "Made in Roma" exhibition at the Trajan's Markets site in Rome ... In this Monday, June 13, 2016 phot, visitors look at various types of amphoras displayed at the "Made in Roma" exhibition at the Trajan's Markets site in Rome ... ....

Orange Wine Has Finally Arrived. Here Are Seven Bottles to Buy

Edit Bloomberg 15 Jun 2016

An orange wine from Italy's Gravner, which ages the juice in beeswax-lined clay amphorae buried underground ... Those aged in clay amphora buried in the earth—the traditional method in Georgia that’s now becoming popular among adventurous winemakers elsewhere—don’t taste like those that spend time in old oak barrels, and so on ... She ferments this brilliant yellow-gold wine made from nosiola grapes in clay amphora for eight months....

Getty Museum Announces Acquisition Of Two Superb Greek And Roman Ancient Works (J Paul Getty Museum)

Edit Public Technologies 08 Jun 2016

(Source. J Paul Getty Museum). June 08, 2016. MEDIA CONTACT.. Desirée Zenowich. Getty Communications. (310) 440-7304. dzenowich@getty.edu. LOS ANGELES - The J ... a Geometric Greek vase and a Roman marble head ... Paul Getty Museum ... Greek Geometric Amphora.. The two-handled, long neck amphora, impressive at 27.5 inches in height, is decorated with rows of figures and geometric patterns including meanders, waves, cables, and checkerboards ... ### ... to 9 p.m....

What makes Bodrum a discerning traveller's delight

Edit The National 07 Jun 2016

As I sip strong Turkish coffee overlooking what Homer called the wine-dark sea, it's hard to believe I'm actually in Bodrum ... The clichéd Irish bars and cafes, offering the full English breakfast, are still there ... in places ... The museum is also inside the castle and it displays artefacts from the many shipwrecks found off the coast, such as hundreds of Roman-era amphora storage vessels, Islamic glassware, and Ottoman coins and pottery....

What's drawing visitors to the Bodrum Peninsula?

Edit The National 07 Jun 2016

Forget rosé: With wine, orange is the new pink

Edit Mashable 05 Jun 2016

Some Europeans still use Kvevris or amphorae, clay vessels dating back to ancient times used during fermentation, similar to the way wooden barrels are used today ... Schiessl calls this “one of the most epic orange wines of all time.” Fermented underground in an amphora and aged for at least four years in the barrel until it's a complex, rich, savory, ......

Wines of Athens: The perfect day trip

Edit The Examiner 03 Jun 2016

Our Athens #winelover adventures included a trip to the Museum of Wine in Pallini, northeastern Athens. The Markou family, whose winemaking history spans four generations, founded the museum in 2005. From the moment we arrived I knew that we were in for a very special treat ... Not that day however, we had some wine tasting to do ... The Wines of Athens ... 1 ... 2 ... 3 ... Mylonas Winery, a modern boutique winery began making wine in clay amphoras in 1917 ... ....

5,000-year-old brewery discovered in China

Edit CNN 31 May 2016

(CNN)An archeological find in China may be the first evidence that beer was an important product in China many years before the experts originally thought. It may have even inspired the development of a sophisticated society ... The team found two subterranean pits with beer-making equipment that included funnels, pots and amphorae holding the residue of what probably was 5,000-year-old beer ... You should drink a beer today. Read More ... Replay....

The Rise of the Beer Can

Edit The Atlantic 27 May 2016

The history of the beer can is a deeply American one. Adopted nationally in the 1930s after Prohibition, the beer can began as an icon of mass production ... More From Our Partners ... “In antiquity,” according to The Oxford Companion to Beer, “beer was a flat beverage that was simply served in amphorae, crocks, buckets, leather sacks,” and often drunk shortly after its fermentation in anticipation of spoilage ... As Liesbeth Colen and Johan F. M....

Brewery kit for beer-making dating back 5,000 years found in China

Edit Belfast Telegraph 24 May 2016

A brewery kit for beer-making dating back 5,000 years has been discovered among artefacts from an archaeological site in northern China. Yellowish remnants found inside wide-mouthed pots, funnels and amphora jars suggest that the vessels were used for making, filtering and storing beer, say scientists ... ....

Ancient Chinese start to brew beer 5,000 years ago, shows new evidence

Edit China Daily 24 May 2016

People in ancient China may have started enjoying the delights of beer as far back as 5,000 years ago, showed archaeological evidence released Monday by Chinese and US researchers ... Three types of vessels were recovered in both pits. wide-mouth pots, funnels, and jiandiping amphorae, all of which have yellowish residues on their interior surface ... Previous Page 1 2 Next Page ... ....

This 5,000-year-old recipe for beer actually sounds pretty tasty

Edit Ars Technica 24 May 2016

5,000 years ago on a terraced slope above the Chan River in Shaanxi Province, China, some enterprising villagers built two sophisticated beer brewing kits ... Archaeologists found other telltale beer-brewing tools (all covered in an ancient yellow residue), including funnels for filtration and amphorae, or cocoon-shaped containers, for fermentation ... (credit. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences) ... Write the archaeologists.....

Researchers Find A 5,000-Year-Old Beer-Making Kit in China

Edit CityLab 23 May 2016

Juan Nel/Shutterstock.com. Pssst. Sam. Hey, Sam Calagione. Here’s something you might want to jump on ... According to a new study in PNAS, the funnels, amphorae, and stoves found on site point toward a sophisticated pursuit of humanity’s favorite vice—getting loaded ... (Jiajing Wang et al.) ... Which is to say ... (Jiajing Wang et al.). Top image. Juan Nel/Shutterstock.com ....