Ancient Roman Pitchers

Ancient Roman pitchers were one of the common items found in Roman times. The Roman civilizations began as a tiny settlement whose people expanded it in such a way that they would become the dominant force in the world for more than four hundred years. The Roman territories had expanded from Britain to Egypt in a very short time, taking with them skills and crafts that we find all around the area today.

One such item, found in multiple areas, is the ancient Roman pitcher. These are found in archeological digs nearly across Europe. Many Roman craftsmen developed their own style and mark that was left, telling us who they were and what they created.

Most of the crafts that are found from Roman cultures exhibit some qualities of the Hellenistic time period, but artists of Rome were so creative, so diverse that they used varying styles and a wide array of materials in order to make their own very personal designs and use them on the items that they created.

Ancient Roman pitchers were in wide use over the entire Roman era. Primarily they were made of a material known as Terra Cotta, which was a baked type of clay that was used all across the area and was very porous. This of course wasn't entirely the best for storage, so different hardening and glazing methods entered into play through history that made the pitchers less likely to leak their contents.

As they began to develop different methods of decorating, of glazing, and of firing the various materaisl the techniques changed broadly in making ancient Roman pitchers. The shapes changed too, but the essential shape, that rounded sides and flat bottoms along with the pouring lip, remained essentially the same and is in fact the same one that is used today.

Pitchers in ancient Roman times were items for storage and storage could of course be a problem. They were used to store wine, to keep water in the household and for other materials as well such as oils for cooking.

The arrival of the Bronze age in various portions of Europe played an important role in the development of pitchers and other food handling items. While most metal working took place to offer weaponry, not all was geared toward that craft.

Ancient Roman pitchers underwent a change as well, with the first through the third century seeing items such as beautiful glass bowls, hand blown being developed as well as silver being used to make ancient Roman bowls and ancient Roman pitchers.

These amazing examples of craftsmanship were used at Roman banquets and by the more wealthy of the time period. Most examples of silver bowls and ancient Roman pitchers made of precious metals come to us from the time of Hadrians reign.

Not only were they made of precious metals, but were worked with amazingly intricate designs to offer a great level of beauty to them, and many had seals of a sort in order to prevent spillage of the liquid contents. Pitchers evolved nearly as much as ancient Roman society did, but in fact, this simple example of a storage vessel, outlasted one of the most powerful societies on earth and is still in use today.