Evolution of Pottery

Ice Age 2 million years ago to 10,000 years ago

Man evolved from apelike to near

human.

Ancient potters made goddesses

and animal figurines.

Clay objects have been found in

*Czech Republic *Japan

*Siberia.

The Goddess of Dolni Vestonice, 23,000 BC , Czech Republic

10,000 BC – 7000 BC Middle Stone Age

Man was*living in villages

*cultivating wheat and barley

*herding cattle, sheep and goats

*making stone tools

Man was becoming civilized. Pottery production

began.

*year 14,000 BC*Jomon Culture, Japan

*semi-nomadic *people lived in caves,

pit dwellings Jomon pot

for food storage

ancient Jomon site Sannai Maruyama, Japan

*700 pit-dwellings, 11 long-

houses *120 raised floor buildings

*380 adult grave pits*three clusters of clay mining pits *three road ways built

of tamped earth *two large midden mounds

New Stone Age8000 BC- 1500

BC

*Man was using stone tools

*living in settled villages

*domesticating plants and animals

New Stone Age 5000 BC Middle East

*Irrigation first practiced *Settlements developed in Turkey, Iran and

Iraq

Middle East potters: *coiled long rolls of clay on top of a flat base

*paddled to shape the pots *Slip applied and burnished to attain a smooth surface

*Some potters carved designs *others pressed designs in simple patterns

4500 BC Middle East

*potters controlled the amount

of oxygen in a kiln

*Increased oxygen caused a red coat on pots

*Decreased oxygen caused a black coat

Spouted Vessel in the form of a stag. Ceramic, lightly burnished, reduction fired. 12” tall, 6” wide, 11” long. Made in Iran.

4000 BC First cities in the

Middle east

*Cities were built using clay bricks

*clay tablets used to chronicle city

records, agriculture and

trade information.

*Molds invented to increase

pottery production

New Stone Age3000 BC

First Pottery made in South America

Archaeologists excavate an ancient Peruvian burial site.

Ancient city of Caral Peru discovered, 2001. *20 cities with huge pyramids

*sunken plazas sprawled over three river valleys*cities flourished peacefully for more than 1,200 years.

2700 BCFirst glaze was developed in Egypt

*called Faience *crushed quartz mixed with soda and

calcium salts *blue-colored surface glaze when fired

2655 BCBanshan Culture, China

*potters made coil pots *pots were painted with red/black pigments

*spiral patterns

2500 BCWheel Throwing invented in China

(Ms Baker)

2500-1100 BCMinoan Culture, Crete

(island in Mediterranean Sea, part of Greece)

*pots were decorated with designs of marine life and plants

*traded pottery vessels filled with oil and wine

for tin, copper and luxury goods

Bronze Age3000- 1500 BC

*Changes in climate in Russia and China*massive migration westward (Europe, Vietnam,

Thailand)

*Bronze tools

replaced stone tools (bronze is a metal alloy of copper and

tin) *then iron tools replaced bronze tools

1600-1100 BCShang Dynasty, China

*developed sophisticated casting techniques

*fired clay molds used to cast fancy bronze vessels

Next: Evolution #2