Brief description

Containers are hollow objects designed to transport, organize, or preserve solid or liquid materials.

Use / Function

• Storage: Storing surplus food, seeds, or water.
• Transport: Facilitating the movement of collected objects.
• Cooking: Allowing the boiling of food (if heat-resistant).
• Scale: Domestic and collective.

Operating principle

They create a physical barrier that groups dispersed elements and, in the case of liquids, use waterproof or sealed materials to prevent leaks.

How to create it

• Basketry: Interweaving flexible plant fibers (plant-fibers) to create a rigid or semi-rigid structure.
• Sacks: Sewing pieces of Leather or fabric together.
• Vessels: Shaping clay and firing it to achieve impermeability and thermal resistance.
• Technical level: Basic to Intermediate.

Materials needed

• Essential: Wicker, esparto, reeds, animal skins, clay.
• Tools: Awls, needles, hands.
• Substitutes: Animal stomachs (for water), hollowed-out gourds, carved wood.

Variants and improvements

• Watertight basket: Coated with resin or bitumen to carry water.
• Amphorae: Designed for massive maritime transport.
• Modular containers: To optimize space.

Limits and risks

• Weight: The container adds dead weight to transport.
• Moisture: Baskets can rot; unglazed ceramics can leak.
• Breakage: Ceramics are fragile; sacks can tear.