You need twelve amphorae for keeping olive oil ? How about a set of these ?
Good medium-size storage jars, solid body, wide thick handles. These twelve plus twelve more ? Twenty-four total. Fine, I should have the others ready for you the day after tomorrow.

This one ? It’s for storing cereals -- barley, oats, corn, whatever you have. You’ll need the larger size for keeping all your animal feed over the winter. You can either pour the contents out into a smaller jar, or use your cart to transport the storage jar itself to your barns and stables. This model is fired and dried in successive stages to give it extra solidity. Your cart hits pebbles and gravel or your farm tracks are full of potholes, this jar won’t register a scratch.

Well, if you don’t think you’ll be lugging storage jars from one place to another, you’re better off getting this larger model. Free-standing, as you can see. Take out only as much as you need, when you need it. I recommend that you don’t keep it in the stables : a hungry ass might injure itself trying to kick it over. You want six ? Ten days, possibly eleven. These beauties require a lot of fuel and the operating of both kilns.

You want to know why these last two have a different colour from the olive oil amphorae ? Right, the ones you see in Rome are usually of a reddish colour. That’s because the clay they use nearer Rome has a high iron content, and no sea water mix. A clay and salt water paste yields a whiter exterior because the salt from sea water pushes outwards during the drying stage.

These smaller amphorae have this creamy colour for a different reason though : the high sulfur content of the water, and little or no iron in our clay. Anywhere you see paler-looking jars around here, they were most likely produced at this estate. To make these larger storage jars with their darker colour, I use a different clay and avoid mixing in water from the Velinus. Some of my workers regularly fill one of our vats with water from the Tiber. Very few other estates around Reate go to all that trouble, I can promise you that !

Our clay is also rich in lime, which helps in obtaining a smooth surface. But finer clay is also more prone to cracks. Adding crushed rock to the body makes it stronger. A stronger body means they can be free-standing ; no need to make tripods to keep them from rolling on their side. On the other hand, they have a coarser grain. The ladies prefer jars with a smoother, soft grain to hold their perfumes, cosmetics and body oil. The big rugged amphorae are reserved for animals or farm produce.

To place your order, step this way, if you please.