For other meanings of the word bowl, see Bowl.

The bowl, a common open-top vessel in many cultures, is used to serve food, and is sometimes also used for drinking and storing other items. They are generally small and shallow, although some, such as punch bowls and salad bowls, are larger and are sometimes intended to serve many people at once. Bowls have existed for thousands of years. Modern bowls can be made of ceramic, metal, wood, plastic, and other materials. Their appearance can range from very simple designs of a single color to sophisticated artwork.

Bowls are ubiquitous. Some bowls can be safe to use in a microwave oven, depending on the material that the bowl is made out of. In the U.S. some microwave meals are sold in plastic bowls, such as those marketed under the Healthy Choice and Uncle Ben's brand names. Movie theaters often serve popcorn in large cardboard bowls or boxes. Soup is usually served in a bowl, although cups of soup are also common. Very old bowls can be collectible antiques or even artifacts. In examining bowls found during an archaeological dig in North America, the anthropologist Vincas Steponaitis defines a bowl by its dimensions, writing that a bowl's diameter rarely falls under half its height and that historic bowls can be classified by their edge, or lip, and shape.

In classical Greece, small bowls, including phiales and pateras, and bowl-shaped cups called kylixes were used. History of Ancient Pottery describes how phiales were used for libations and included a small dent in the center for the bowl to be held with a finger, although one source indicates that these were used to hold perfume rather than wine.

Chawan, drinking bowls used in a Japanese tea ceremony

See also

• Buffet
• List of eating utensils
• Dishware

References

• Steponaitis, Vincas P (1983). Ceramics, Chronology, and Community Patterns: An Archaelogical Study at Moundville, pp 68–69. New York: Academic Press. ISBN 0126662800. (Table of contents available online)
• Walters, H.B. (1905). History of Ancient Pottery: Greek, Etruscan, and Roman, pp 140,191–192. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons.

External links

• The Phiale of Achyris - On the website of the Archeological Institute of America . The Phiale is dated from 300 BC and is made of gold, includes pictures.