Greek domestic life employed various sized ceramic jars for storing wine, oil, money, and other valuables. Classical sources describe jars used for racking wine, holding ballots, and keeping precious contents. The Septuagint and Hebrews specifically mention a golden jar (not common earthenware) that held the manna in the ark of the covenant. This sacred vessel preserved the miraculous bread from the wilderness as a perpetual memorial of God's provision. The term itself simply means jar or bottle, but context determines whether common pottery or precious container.