05 october 2022

Pottery in Life

by Agus

Producing a ceramic element implies a very high level of knowledge about the materials we use -mainly clays, sands and water-, the ways in which we can mix them to obtain the best results, how to build something that holds and survives heat, and how we can then fire it. All these actions are very complex and generally, they are skills learned from one or more masters who guide us through the process.

But how did the first potters learn the exact processes? and, more interestingly, why did they start making these pots?

Studies in different parts of the world tell us a little about these early stages of pottery making, although it is true that there are still more questions than certainties.

In the Andes, in the province of Jujuy (in the north of Argentina), five thousand years old ceramic fragments have been found in a place called “Cueva Cristobal” ¹. These sherds seem to combine clays with organic materials. We can consider then that the first potters would have used the containers made with organic materials -such as baskets- as a base, and would have started experimenting with the available clays.

I have always found it incredibly suggestive that the technique of coils or “churros” (that’s how they are called in Spain, in Argentina we usually call them “rollitos”) is remarkably similar to some basketry techniques, at least at a visual level. It is necessary to study in more depth how the different techniques used in diverse materials intersect.

However, understanding for what purpose(s) these ceramic vessels began to be used is another question. We know that ceramic vessels, such as pots or jars, allow food to be cooked in ways that would not be possible with other types of containers, as they can be placed on a fire and withstand heat for many hours. This makes it possible to boil food and introduce new recipes and preparations to the diet. Thus, new culinary equipment means new preparations and recipes.

We see that the use of ceramic vessels does not only imply incorporating a new technology that is necessary to know and handle, but it is related to other changes in the life of a society.

From the first experiments to produce pottery in different parts of the world until now there have been many changes, and that is because pottery is so versatile. It can be produced in many forms, in many different ways and with many raw materials.

In the following posts we will talk about the history of ceramics over time, looking at the particularities of different places. We will also talk about the production techniques of pottery and the traditions that were developed.

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1. You can see some interesting findings about these ceramics in Cremonte, M.B.; Botto, I.L.; Characterization of pottery fabrics from Cueva de Cristobal (Puna of Jujuy); British Archaeological Series; 2016; 5-13. ↩