Managing food storage in the Roman Empire

Calculating dolium capacities and material use

“…Dolium potters did, however, form distinctive sizes. In other words, dolium makers might not have been able to guarantee their products held a specific number of liters, but they could control the size of the vessel to create dolia that were in a certain size range and had rims of particular widths to accommodate standardized lids (Annecchino, 1979; Cheung, 2020; Taglietti, 2015).…”

The spectacle of production: a Roman imperial winery at the Villa of the Quintilii, Rome

“…Short, open marble-lined channels connected each dolium to the distribution network, though only one is preserved (Figure 6). Typical of Roman Italy, the dolia are set into the ground (defossa), which created a stable fermentation microenvironment (see Cheung 2021a; Cheung et al 2021). All but two of the dolia were removed in antiquity; the remaining examples are in a poor condition, although one rim fragment preserves a stamp reading M*MARII/ PRIMIGENI, datable to the first century AD, between the reigns of Tiberius and Nero (Steinby 1973: pl.…”

Transmission of Zoonotic Diseases in the Daily Life of Ancient Pompeii and Herculaneum (79 CE, Italy): A Review of Animal–Human–Environment Interactions through Biological, Historical and Archaeological Sources

“…Latin authors such as Varro ( Res Rusticae , 1st century BCE) and Pliny the Elder ( Naturalis Historia , 1st century CE) described different storage practices, stating that the storage of raw cereals and legumes in a sealed, cool and dry environment would prevent germination and deterioration, allowing long-term storage. Under conditions of high humidity and temperature, contamination and deterioration of the entire supply would be encouraged, as well as rodent and insect infestations and mould growth [ 190 , 191 , 192 ]. Rodents such as the wood mouse ( Apodemus sylvaticus ) (see Section 4.3.4 .…”

“…Thus, properly sealed, these jars protected their contents from rodents, insects and other pests that could otherwise infiltrate. Therefore, this masonry retail service counter worked in stores as a refrigerator for the preservation of food, especially cereals and legumes, in stable, cool and dry environments [ 190 ].…”

“…Warehouse workers, millers, bakers and others who handled grain were vulnerable to skin reactions, inhalant allergies and pathogens. The use of low-quality grain was also problematic, not only because it was less nutritious, but also because the consumption of bread made with spoiled grain could lead to health problems since pathogens were easily transmitted when people ingested insects or moulds that contaminated them [ 190 , 191 ]. In addition, the stable, mill and bakery were usually connected because they were part of the same bread-making process, so the close contact of humans with equids propitiated the ideal environment to acquire infections—parasitic, bacterial, viral and fungal—that could be transmitted by direct contact with these animals, their urine or excrement or by the consumption of legumes, cereals and bread that had been contaminated by coming into contact with the urine and excrement of these animals during handling and processing.…”