# Amphorae **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 30, 2002, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amphorae/145746 "2002-12-30T20:50:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![toscar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f9ae1b/32.png) [@toscar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toscar)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2002, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amphorae/145746/1 "2002-12-30T20:50:48Z")
Why do some types of ancient Greek and Roman amphorae have pointed bases? ---
**Author:** ![TRUE\_CANADIAN](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba8739/32.png) [@TRUE\_CANADIAN](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRUE_CANADIAN)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2002, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amphorae/145746/2 "2002-12-30T20:52:57Z")
I thought they all had pointed bases? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2002, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amphorae/145746/3 "2002-12-30T21:00:12Z")
Well, according to [this](http://www.mysteriousetruscans.com/sea.html) site, the corks were marked with their contents and destination, and they were slid into racks bottom-end first. That’s easier to do if the bottom ends are pointed. They did, however, make some flat-bottomed; most were pointed. ---
**Author:** ![toscar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f9ae1b/32.png) [@toscar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toscar)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2003, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amphorae/145746/4 "2003-01-02T15:17:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ethilrist \* > \*\*Well, according to [this](http://www.mysteriousetruscans.com/sea.html) site, the corks were marked with their contents and destination, and they were slid into racks bottom-end first. That’s easier to do if the bottom ends are pointed. > > They did, however, make some flat-bottomed; most were pointed. \*\* I understand amphorae, basically, to be storage vessels for wine, grain etc and as such presumably, at some stage in use, it would be convenient to stand them upright. While a vessel with a pointed end might stand upright in (for example) sand it wouldn’t stand on a hard surface without some kind of support. And amphorae with flat bases would slide into a rack just as easily as do present day wine bottles. Any more theories? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2003, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amphorae/145746/5 "2003-01-02T15:28:02Z")
I’m pretty sure I’ve seen some contemporary(to the time) paintings or similar showing wine being poured from amphorae - one hand holding a handle at the neck, the other hand holding the pointed base and tipping - whether this was a design ciriterion though I couldn’t say. ---
**Author:** ![toscar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f9ae1b/32.png) [@toscar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toscar)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2003, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amphorae/145746/6 "2003-01-02T16:09:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mangetout \* > \*\*I’m pretty sure I’ve seen some contemporary(to the time) paintings or similar showing wine being poured from amphorae - one hand holding a handle at the neck, the other hand holding the pointed base and tipping - whether this was a design ciriterion though I couldn’t say. \*\* But while it seems a daft way to design a " big bottle" there must have been a perfectly good reason for it. I find it difficult to accept the (horizontal) rack explanation because leakage of liquid is more likely in that position. I can understand,Mangetout, that it would be easier to tip a large vessel with a pointed end but flat bottoms have many more other advantages.