Dolium

A dolium (plural: dolia) is a large earthenware vase or vessel used in ancient Roman times for storage or transportation of goods.

Because these sources deal with rural matters of the time, they also give scholars an insight into the life and culture of ancient Rome in addition to specific information about use of the dolium.

For instance, dolia were manufactured for the most part by travelling specialist potters or by workshops that were involved principally in production of architectural ceramics.

[2] However, dolia were also commonly used in conjunction with transport facilities such as merchant ships and temporary storage places like harbor warehouses.

[1] While the mystery of the dolia in relation to maritime commerce is still being researched, archaeologists have substantial evidence from shipwrecks to support its significant, yet short role.

Its relatively deep underwater location provided sufficient protection from both natural and human disturbances to allow for a more detailed study on the position of dolia on board this Roman merchant ship.

The preservation of the Diano Marina's entire cargo provides a rare chance to estimate the capacity of Roman ships.

Its relatively deep underwater location sufficiently protected the site from disturbances as well, which also allowed for a more detailed study on the position of dolia on board this Roman merchant ship.

The La Giraglia was carrying at least eight dolia and its excavation gives insight into the ship’s design and how such vessels contributed to patterns of trade in the western Mediterranean.

The cistern boat was an innovation in ship construction, intended to respond to changes in the production and transportation of wine brought about by Roman expansion.

Because each discovery illuminates the ways in which maritime commerce adapted to the demands of production and transportation, the La Giraglia shipwreck is essential in the understanding of mutual exchange within the Mediterranean.

The La Giraglia was a medium-sized ship, but possessed a few rather unusual characteristics because the discovery and study of the twenty-six frames reveal that 58.8% of the preserved hull was composed of oak.

However, given the fragmented nature of the remaining wreck, this preponderance of oak in the surviving portions may not reflect the composition of the rest of the original ship.

“Whatever the answers to the numerous questions raised about the dolia vessels or cistern boats, these ships must be considered not only as a technical innovation of their time, but also as a daring enterprise.

The rupture of a full dolium would have caused almost two tons of wine to pour rapidly into the hold, which could have resulted in a sudden destabilization and capsizing of the vessel.

"This is the first time a complete, inviolate wreck has been found," Michelangelo Zecchini, an archaeologist who works for the Forum UNESCO commented.

“It seems that dolia were made in a shape that allowed them to fit perfectly inside a ship in order to leave minimal empty space.

The very tight disposition of the dolia has led to the deduction that these containers were never removed from their places on board ship and that when they carried wine, it had to be poured in and out at the ports-of-call.

“Perhaps one of the most interesting results of the search for information on dolia is the fact that they have been found in considerable quantities in every step of a system of food supply which was related to the overseas trade.