Strata Answers How Many? Answer: approximately 40 gallons The
ubiquitous collared-rim jar, or pithos, of Iron Age I hill-
country settlements has long been at the center of the debate
over Israelite origins and ethnicity. For decades, the large
ovoid storage jar with fattened rim, heavy handles and telltale
ridged or “collared” neck was taken as a sign of an “Israelite”
settlement. With more recent discoveries of collared-rim jars in
coastal cities and the highlands of Transjordan, however, the
jar’s status as an ethnic marker has come under increased
scrutiny. Regardless of its ethnic attribution, this large
vessel was ideally suited to the economic and environmental
conditions of Iron Age I hill-country life. Because Iron Age I
villages were typically located several miles away from the
nearest spring or reservoir, the jars may have functioned much
like in-house water tanks. When these “tanks” needed filling,
villagers used donkeys to convey smaller, lighter jugs of water
from the nearest spring back to the