Abowl is a typically round dish or container generally used for preparing, serving, storing, or consumingfood. The interior of a bowl is characteristically shaped like aspherical cap, with the edges and the bottom forming a seamless curve. This makes bowls especially suited for holdingliquids and loose food, as the contents of the bowl are naturally concentrated in its center by the force ofgravity. The exterior of a bowl is most often round, but can be of any shape, includingrectangular.

The size of bowls varies from small bowls used to hold a single serving of food to large bowls, such aspunch bowls orsalad bowls, that are often used to hold or store more than one portion of food. There is some overlap between bowls,cups, andplates. Very small bowls, such as thetea bowl, are often called cups, while plates with especially deep wells are often called bowls.

In many cultures, bowls are the most common kind of vessel used for serving and eating food. Historically, small bowls were also used for serving bothtea andalcoholic drinks. InWestern culture plates and cups are more commonly used.

Modern bowls can be made ofceramic,metal,wood,plastic, and other materials. Bowls have been made for thousands of years. Very early bowls have been found inChina,Ancient Greece,Crete and in certainNative American cultures.

InAncient Greek pottery, small bowls, includingphiales andpateras, and bowl-shaped cups calledkylices were used. Phiales were used forlibations 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 holdperfume rather thanwine. SomeMediterranean examples from theBronze Age manifest elaborate decoration and sophistication of design. For example, thebridge spouted vessel design appeared at theMinoan site ofPhaistos.^[1] In the 4th millennium BC, evidence exists that theUruk culture of ancientMesopotamia mass-producedbeveled rim bowls of standardized sizes. Moreover, inChinese pottery, there are many elaborately painted bowls and other vessels dating to theNeolithic period. As of 2009^[update], the oldest bowl found is 18,000 years old.^[2]

In examining bowls found during anarchaeological dig inNorth America, theanthropologist Vincas Steponaitis defines a bowl by its dimensions, writing that a bowl'sdiameter rarely falls under half its height and that historic bowls can be classified by their edge, or lip, and shape.

In many cultures, food and drink are shared in a communal bowl or cup.^[3] InMali, the name of the town ofBandiagara (French pronunciation:[bɑ̃djaɡaʁa]) refers to thecommunal bowl meals are served in. The name translates roughly to "large eating bowl." InZimbabwe,sadza is traditionally eaten from acommunal bowl, a tradition that is still maintained by some families, mainly in rural areas.Lakh is a popular boiled porridge made with rolledmillet flour pellets (araw/arraw) typically topped at serving with sweetenedfermented milk. It is usually served in a communal bowl orplatter inSenegal.

InChina, it is considered rude and unhygienic for a diner to use his or her ownchopsticks to pick up food fromcommunal bowls and plates when such utensils are present.^[4]

In some cultures, the communal bowl has a set of social strictures, as evidenced by the Spanish idiom, "¿Cuándo hemos comido en el mismo plato?" (English: When have we eaten from the same dish?).^[5]

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  Ancient Iranian bowl called Jam-e Arjan
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  APhoenician silver bowl showing a hunting scene, found inPalestrina
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  Ancient Egyptian bowl; 200–150 BC; faience; 4.8 cm × 16.9 cm (1.9 in × 6.7 in);Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York City)
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  Nasca bowl; c. 100 BC; earthenware with colored slips; diameter: 12.8 × 17.7 cm; overall: 13 cm; fromPeru;Cleveland Museum of Art (Cleveland,Ohio, U.S.)
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  Roman ribbed bowl; 1st century AD; glass; diameter: 6.5 cm; Cleveland Museum of Art
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  Mogollon bowl with a pronghorn antelope and geometric designs; 1000–1150; earthenware; diameter: 31.2 cm, overall: 12.5 × 32 cm; Cleveland Museum of Art
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  Korean bowl with a lotus petal design in relief; 1100 (Goryeo period); porcelain celadon ware; Cleveland Museum of Art
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  Chinese bowl; 1723–1735 (Qing Dynasty); porcelain with doucai decoration; diameter: 11.8 cm, overall: 6.4 cm; from theJiangxi province (China); Cleveland Museum of Art
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  FrenchNeoclassical bowl (jatte à anses relevées or jatte écuelle); 1787–1788; hard-paste porcelain; overall: 7.6 × 25.4 × 19.1 cm; Metropolitan Museum of Art
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  Bowl, part of an English dessert service; c. 1800; porcelain; diameter: 22.8 cm, overall: 5 cm; Cleveland Museum of Art
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  10th century bowl from Nishapur, Iran. Decorated in folk style, depictingBuraq.Khalili Collection.
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  12th–13th century bowl depicting KingZahhak with snakes protruding from his shoulders, likely from NorthwesternIran. Modifiedc. 1926, as many medieval pieces were to make them more attractive.[6]
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  Late 19th century wooden bowl from Kungälv municipality, Sweden
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  Pet bowls, which are designed to be used by domestic animals such as dogs or cats

• Bridge spouted vessel
• Buffet
• Dishware
• List of eating utensils

• Hogan, C. Michael (2007)."Phaistos fieldnotes".The Modern Antiquarian.
• Steponaitis, Vincas P. (1983).Ceramics, Chronology, and Community Patterns: An Archaeological Study at Moundville. New York: Academic Press. pp. 68–69.ISBN 978-0-12-666280-1. Archived fromthe original on 2004-12-11.
• Walters, H. B. (1905).History of Ancient Pottery: Greek, Etruscan, and Roman. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. pp. 140,191–192.

• "The Phiale of Achyris".Archaeological Institute of America.The Phiale is dated from 300 BC and is made of gold, includes pictures
• "Corning Museum of Glass".