Many amphora were re-used to serve as drain pipes or flower pots, for instance.
Broken amphorae were pounded into chips and mixed with concrete and widely used as a building material.
So they were dumped in landfills.
Monte Testaccio was not a haphazard waste dump, but a highly organized and carefully engineered refuse site.
Lime was then spread over the broken jars to neutralize the smell of rotting oil.
It has been estimated that Rome was importing at least 7.5 million liters of olive oil annually.
