Have you ever wondered how ceramics began? I did but it took
this blog for me to do any research. So I will share what I have
learned with you all. There is so much that I will start with
the very beginning and as weeks go by bring you up to current
day practices. It turns out ceramics is a very ancient industry.
Once people discovered that clay could be dug up and formed into
objects by mixing with water and then firing, the ceramic
industry was born. As early as 24,000 BC, animal and human
figurines were made from animal fat, bone mixed with bone ash
and a fine claylike material, and then fired in kilns at
temperatures between 500-800°C in domed and horseshoe shaped
kilns partially dug into the ground. I sure am glad I can just
put mine in an electric kiln! At around 9000 or 10,000 BC the
first use of functional pottery for storing water and food was
invented. Clay bricks were also made around the same time. Glass
was believed to be discovered in Egypt somewhere around 8000 BC,
when overheating of kilns pro