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Home > The Many Wonders Of Pottery
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The Many Wonders Of Pottery by Anna Stenning
These days there are more people looking for something different to do in their spare time outside of their working life. One of the oldest and most popular hobbies for young people and adults alike is pottery. Many people will take buying ceramic dishes, pots and cutlery for granted, without realising just how important a role they play in our cultural history. Each ceramic dishware we see in high street shops are hand-made by professionals and designed to record a significant part of the culture.
Earlier potters used to hand-build their pottery in bonfires, which was possible because the heat would rise up to 900 degrees Celsius. These were traditionally made with clay that were tempered with sand, crushed pottery, crushed shells and grit. This created an open body for the pot, making it easier to allow water and other volatile substance to evaporate or escape. Coarse particles of the clay prevented the pot from shrinking in the body when cooling.
The cooling process was an extremely part of making the pots as this was done slowly, which further prevented the potted wares from cracking or smashing. Bonfires were used for many years before the first pit-kiln and trench-kiln was built. These were made by digging into the ground that was then covered by fuel. The earth surround the fire acted as an insulator, which also made it easier to control the fire. This provided better results in creating the pots and made the drying process a little quicker without damaging it.
The first ceramic art objects were founded in what is now known as the Czech Republic with statues of ancient figurines of the Gravettian created Venus woman dating back between 29,000 to 25,000 BCE. These statuettes were mostly symbolic of religious and cultural beliefs, which was an important part of the earlier periods. Early potted vessels were thought to have originated from ancient Japan around 10,000 BCE. These were an inspiration for modern day dishware and cutlery, but were also important in the art world as they depicted ancient storytelling and historical insights into the culture.
However, it would not be until the Mesopotamia period, around 6,000 - 4,000 BCE, that really revolutionised the production of potted wares, by introducing the potter's wheel. This made it easier for many of the potters to meet to the supply and demand of new cities and developing world's to begin using them for manufacturing. To this day the potter's wheel is still in use and is the primary source for hand-made pottery. The potted art-form plays an important in developing creativity skills for young people and making for a calming hobby for adults.
Archaeologists and historians alike excavate ancient pottery and use the markings/designs/images on the pots to provide clues into the historical backgrounds of the country of their origin. The markings tend to survive over the years and the pots are generally very durable, therefore it is easier to make clear what the markings are and to trace back when they were created. Potted vessels and wares were created for many reasons, which were for ornamental value, cultural symbolism, religion, social behaviour and conduct, and the cultures knowledge or understanding of the universe.
About the Author
Anna Stenning is an expert on pottery, having studied this as an important element of finding out facts about ancient cultures.
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