Bruce the Chef

By: Mitch Johnson

Ceramics has existed for a long period of time. In this article we will learn about the history of ceramic.

Archeologists have uncovered the pottery remains of societies which
antedate recorded history by hundreds of centuries. Some of these
primitive jugs and bowls were made when man still did his hunting with
stone axes. The ravages of time have not marred their utilitarian
beauty, for when a ceramic article is fired properly it is converted
into one of the most indestructible of ordinary things. When it is
shaped with imagination and skill, it can become a work of exquisite
beauty.

Today it is possible for anyone, in his spare time, to produce
eye-pleasing ceramic objects for the home from simple ash trays to
complete sets of dinnerware. With the advantages of modern technology,
the do-it-yourself hobbyist can make ceramic pieces which until
recently could only be turned out by the full-time professional. Best
of all, perhaps, is that ceramics as a hobby is satisfying and exciting
fun.

Despite the many innovations easy-to-apply colors and glazes, electric
kilns, prepared clays enjoyed by hobbyists today, the basic methods of
ceramic manufacture have not changed since the days of prehistoric man.
They have been improved, embellished upon, but not essentially changed.

Of course, there is no precise history of how or when man added
pottery-making to his repertoire of skills. For millions of years he
used what he found lying about him, such things as seashells and
gourds, to transport his precious water supply. Thus, it is not
surprising that the earliest examples of earthenware are modeled after
these naturally formed vessels.

In all probability, man stumbled across this revolutionary discovery as
the result of some fortunate accident. Perhaps some cave children were
playing by a river bank, making mud pies as youngsters still do. Maybe
one inventive child shaped his mud pie after a gourd shell and left his
handiwork in the sun for a few days, where it was baked into the first
man-made ceramic bowl capable of holding water.

In virtually every known primitive culture the secret of making clay
pottery was known. It was learned either by word of mouth or discovered
independently. The tribes-people took such clay as they could find on
the surface of the ground, or by some river bed, and spread it out on
stone slabs. Then they picked out the rocky fragments and beat it with
the hands or sticks to fashion it into the shapes they needed or fancy
dictated. For ages, the tools and techniques were of the simplest: the
fingers for shaping or building up vessels and a piece of mat or
basketwork on which to work.

Then some original genius of the tribe found that by turning his
support he could bring every part under his hand in succession. The
potter’s wheel was born.

It was so amazing to know, how the ceramic was made in the beginning of
time. But whatever the process are, it has created a beautiful pieces
to decorate our living room.

About the Author:

Mitch Johnson is a regular writer for www.curtains-n-drapes.com/ , www.ceramicsforu.info/ , www.goodbudgetholiday.info/

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