290 15·No Ceramics Age? erty and dry food,for cooking,and for transporting water.Still, pottery-making is seldom found among nomadic tribes in par- ticular as long as natural materials,such as gourds,skins,and large leaves,can be found or when baskets can be woven for the above-mentioned purposes.Moreover,and most importantly, potters must live within the reach of their raw materials and their kilns.Finally,ceramic pots are heavy and might break during travel.It is therefore not surprising that the art of pottery did not commence or was not practiced at all locations of the world at the same time and with equal sophistication,even though the raw materials were certainly available.Instead,pottery-making has been mainly exercised in areas in which agriculture has been firmly established,that is,where the population was reasonably settled.It is interesting to know in this context that pottery ap- pears in the Americas approximately 5,000 years later than in the 'old world"and that glazes,as well as the potter's wheel,and fre- quently also the kiln,were not known there in pre-Columbian times. The discovery that fired clay objects are water-resistant and sturdy eventually led to a systematic development of kilns with permanent walls and open tops.Certain modifications on the out- lay of the kilns and the type of fuel used eventually allowed in- creasingly higher temperatures.This has been discussed already in Chapter 1 in the context of the interrelationship between pottery-making and copper-smelting. 15.2·Types of Pottery Pottery is broadly divided into vitrified ware and unvitrified ware, a distinction that is based on whether or not clay composition and firing temperature cause the clay to melt or fuse into a glassy (vitreous)substance.Earthenware is made from "earthenware clay"fired at relatively low temperatures,that is,between 800 and 1200C,depending on the raw material;see Plate 15.1.It is porous when not subsequently glazed (see below)and is rela- tively coarse and often red or buff-colored,even black after fir- ing.Bricks and other construction materials,such as tiles,as well as terra cotta vessels are the major products in this category. Earthenware was probably the earliest kind of ceramics that was made,dating back to about 7,000 or possibly 8,000 B.C.Speci- mens of this age were found,for example,in Catal Huyuk in Ana- tolia (today's Turkey). Because of its porosity,the water which is stored in vessels made of unglazed earthenware percolates eventually through theerty and dry food, for cooking, and for transporting water. Still, pottery-making is seldom found among nomadic tribes in par￾ticular as long as natural materials, such as gourds, skins, and large leaves, can be found or when baskets can be woven for the above-mentioned purposes. Moreover, and most importantly, potters must live within the reach of their raw materials and their kilns. Finally, ceramic pots are heavy and might break during travel. It is therefore not surprising that the art of pottery did not commence or was not practiced at all locations of the world at the same time and with equal sophistication, even though the raw materials were certainly available. Instead, pottery-making has been mainly exercised in areas in which agriculture has been firmly established, that is, where the population was reasonably settled. It is interesting to know in this context that pottery ap￾pears in the Americas approximately 5,000 years later than in the “old world” and that glazes, as well as the potter’s wheel, and fre￾quently also the kiln, were not known there in pre-Columbian times. The discovery that fired clay objects are water-resistant and sturdy eventually led to a systematic development of kilns with permanent walls and open tops. Certain modifications on the out￾lay of the kilns and the type of fuel used eventually allowed in￾creasingly higher temperatures. This has been discussed already in Chapter 1 in the context of the interrelationship between pottery-making and copper-smelting. Pottery is broadly divided into vitrified ware and unvitrified ware, a distinction that is based on whether or not clay composition and firing temperature cause the clay to melt or fuse into a glassy (vitreous) substance. Earthenware is made from “earthenware clay” fired at relatively low temperatures, that is, between 800 and 1200°C, depending on the raw material; see Plate 15.1. It is porous when not subsequently glazed (see below) and is rela￾tively coarse and often red or buff-colored, even black after fir￾ing. Bricks and other construction materials, such as tiles, as well as terra cotta vessels are the major products in this category. Earthenware was probably the earliest kind of ceramics that was made, dating back to about 7,000 or possibly 8,000 B.C. Speci￾mens of this age were found, for example, in Catal Hüyük in Ana￾tolia (today’s Turkey). Because of its porosity, the water which is stored in vessels made of unglazed earthenware percolates eventually through the 290 15 • No Ceramics Age? 15.2 • Types of Pottery