Illustrated Companion to the Latin Dictionary/Dolium

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Rich, Anthony (1849). The illustrated companion to the Latin dictionary, and Greek lexicon. p. vi. OCLC 894670115. https://archive.org/details/illustratedcompa00rich. 

DO'LIUM. A large-mouthed, round, full-bellied earthenware vessel (Varro, R. R. iii. 15. 2. Columell. xii. 6. 1. Ib. 4. 5.), of great capacity, employed to contain new wine in a body until it was drawn off into amphorae, or, as we should say, bottled (Seneca, Ep. 36. Procul. Dig. 33. 6. 15.); as well as other kinds of produce, both dry and liquid, as oil, vinegar, &c. (Varro, R. R. i. 22. 4. Cato, R. R. 10. 4. and 11. 1.) The great size of these vessels is testified by the fact that Diogenes lived in one (Juv. Sat. xiv. 308.); and by some originals excavated at Antium, which are three inches thick, and have an inscription declaring their capacity at 18 amphorae, equal to 21½ of the modern Roman barrels. The illustration (Dolium/1.1) is copied from a bas-relief, representing the dolium of Diogenes. Our word tub, which is commonly adopted as the translation of dolium, gives an incorrect notion of the object, which was made of baked earth, though of sufficient size to contain a man, as the oil jars used at this day in Italy, and those of the well-known story of the Forty Thieves, in the Arabian Nights.

2. Dolium demersum, depressum, defossum. A dolium sunk partially into the sand which formed the floor of a wine cellar. (See the illustration s. CELLA, 2.) This method was considered the best for keeping wine which had not a strong body; but if it was of a generous quality, the dolium containing it stood upon the ground. Plin. H. N. xiv. 27. Columell. xii. 18. 5.

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  Dolium/1.1