[SunkenCiv]

I think it had to do with the method by which it was made. Also, aboard ship, the jars would be stuck down into something, like straw, or more likely grain. When such ships got into duress, bailing probably wouldn't help, but the ships were much easier to abandon; I'd imagine a lot of crews survived such founderings, grabbing whatever was handy as a floatation device. There must be a good number of intact wrecks, as Ballard's team found in the Black Sea, down below the anoxia level.

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[The_Victor]

I saw the Discovery Channel show on Ballard's mapping/excavation of the Black sea wreck. But the wrecks always seem to have the jars in a jumble or maybe an aligned pile. I don't think I've seen anything about how they were placed in the hull of the boats.

Anyway, it's just one of those nagging questions that Discovery Channel never seems to answer.

[Covenantor]

Well from a very distant memory of a Nat’l Geo article I do recall an instance of a wooden lattice frame that would have stabilized the amphorae cargo, critical to maintaining ship stability. Don’t need cargo rolling around in rough waters or a storm. Woodworms would have eaten the light wooden members. Wonder if a sand base could also have aided as ballast.

The other bit of info is that amphorae found in the wrecks were more or less standard plain bulk waterproof shipping containers. Liquids, grain might have been the main items stored but other dry goods such as scrolls, perhaps silk cloth could be shipped in these plain containers.

Wine and oil would be decanted into small decorated ones with or without bases. A quick search will show variations in shape and decoration. Somme very beautiful.

[Covenantor]

whoa...just caught that grain reference. Not with leaky bilges, it would end up a salt water mash.