1986.008.1107
Olive Jar
Physical Object
1986.008.1107
Nuestra Señora de Atocha (1622)
circa 1620
A bulbous, egg-shaped earthenware olive jar was carried on the 1622 galleon Atocha. It has a large “blow out” where, because it was not sufficiently dried, the ceramic paste blistered during firing and the exterior surface of the bubble broke away. A vertical crack running from the base of the neck downward across the shoulder was sealed and repaired in antiquity with resinous pitch. The inside of the mouth and rim are also coated with the same pitch, likely to help seal a cork. An "hourglass" mark scratched into shoulder indicates the jar’s contents or ownership. The term “olive jar” is a bit of a misnomer assigned to these vessels by a US archaeologist in the early 20th century: Though they could have carried olives, these amphoras more commonly carried wine, oil, and vinegar.