Mechanical Properties of Ceramics and Glass

Pottery can not only tell us about the past, but it can also tell us about people’s beliefs and what people did in the past. Pottery was used for many purposes. It was made in many different shapes and sizes. Some pieces of pottery had unique pictures and designs on them. The pictures and designs expressed different types of things that went on in the daily lives of ancient Greeks. Music and entertainment, religious beliefs, death and burial traditions are a few aspects of Greek life that are pictured on many different types of ancient Greek pottery.

According to the first caption on Document 5, the wheel had been created by 2,600 B.C. This invention advanced the Ancient Mesopotamians in many different ways. The wheel allowed carts to be invented, which we see in both pictures on Document 5. This allowed the Ancient Mesopotamians to easily transport goods, making it easier to trade within themselves and other civilizations. The wheel also allowed for the invention of the plow, which helped keep the Mesopotamian soil fertile and good for growing crops.

Pottery was utilised for a variety of purposes such as storage, food preparation, ritual activity, transportation and more. Stone artefacts were another source of evidence with objects such as pestles and mortars, vases, hammers and tools. The stone artefacts that were produced locally were made from imported fine stones such as alabaster, limestone and marble. Architecture was another prominent feature that showed what Theran culture was like. There were three types of buildings including the mansions, freestanding buildings and joined houses, each belonging to the according wealth of an individual. Additionally, wall paintings of the frescoes from Akrotiri provide some of the most famous images such as the Boxers, Fisherman, Ladies, Lilies, Monkey, Papyrus and Spring frescoes. In many cases all four walls were decorated to create a panoramic scene with naturalistic representations.

However, the golden age of Japanese ceramics did not really begin until the sixteenth century when the tea master Sen no Rikyū popularized the tea ceremony. In his refinement of this art form, Rikyū found beauty in the earthly and natural forms of pottery and thus commissioned the production of “raku ware,” which today, is considered the pinnacle of Japanese pottery. Notable for its ruggedness and imperfections, raku ware made Rikyū into a central figure in the establishment of the wabi-sabi aesthetic. In the beginning, the textures and colors of wabi-sabi vessels were left to develop naturally. However, over time, several wabi-sabi artists began experimenting and even developed techniques to intentionally create these alterations. Obviously, the exact shape and form of an imperfection cannot be controlled but the intention can be realized in an oxymoronic “controlled natural look.”

After weeks of working I made a total of three pottery pieces, the one that I spent most time on is a clay pot that was made to look like an ancient greece piece of art. They used as grave markers and many other useful things. Back in ancient Greek pottery was divided into four different areas. These areas are for storage and transport vessels, mixing vessels, jugs and cups, vases for oils, perfumes and cosmetics. Many believed that Greek pottery, unlike today's pottery, was only fired once, but that firing had three stages. When firing their art pieces the kiln was heated to around 920-950 °C. They technically decorated their pieces to tell a old story or to represent something, normally people in a darker shaded color. I chose this culture

The Han and Roman civilizations both took a deep pride in their technological breakthroughs as it made their people’s lives easier by decreasing the time and labor it took to complete a job. Document 2, talks about the creation of the pestle and the mortar by, Huan Tan. The pestle and mortar were tools

Pottery is very beneficial and advantageous to archaeologists as it is a very common and widespread product that leads us to have a greater understanding about the everyday life of the area inhabitants. “Pottery is one of the most common artefacts in ancient sites. Once broken, unlike glass and metal, it cannot be recycled. This makes it very useful to archaeologists,” said Pont. Pont made the conclusion that the red slip pottery was used by the Pompeian’s as tableware with the main purpose of serving food and drink given its characteristically glossy surface. By dipping ceramics in liquid clay and later firing it in an oxygenating kiln is how this gloss is created (Kalnins, 2004) (see figure

Ceramics class is a great place to relax in the midst of a long and tiring school day, and throughout this class my peers and I have learned and grew as artists while learning about what it takes to became better at pottery. A major example of this growth occurred as a result of the face jug assignment. After watching a documentary on the significance these jugs have had in American history, and the significance these artifacts had to do with the people who made them, we began. Through this assignment I learned more about African American origins, how the people were able to keep a minute part of themselves after being brought to a new land, and the change in meaning of the face jugs; I found it difficult to believe that such a simple thing

On the Levi Jordan Plantation ceramic shards have been found next to what is thought to be a hearth or fireplace. Some of the clay was in the form of one bowl, several ceramic plates and cups. The hearth was most likely the center of activity in the cabin, as tobacco pipes were scattered around it. Blacksmiths will sometimes make pots, but most of the time they used iron or aluminum. Pots are made from clay, which can be found anywhere near a river. Then the clay is fired, to dry it after it has been shaped (most of the time by hand, but in modern times on a pottery wheel). A couple of countries who were the first to make clay pots were, Czech Republic, Japan, and China. Clay was a very important resource used for decoration, storage, and

The appearance of Beaker Bell pottery in Europe is one ceramic innovation which is still not fully understood today (Waddell 2010, 121) as their distribution is irregular stretching from Hungary to Ireland. Several Beaker Bell pottery types have been identified in Britain and Ireland; those of different sizes, ware type (ibid). Many of the pottery that has survived in Ireland are those which have been used for burial, although also used for drinking, storage and cooking (Gibson 2002, In: Waddell 2010, 121). Residue analysis showed the pottery was used for holding alcohol and drugs, but as the pots themselves would not hold liquids for long it was like a prehistoric drinking challenge (Guerra-Doce 2006, 248). Pottery sherds have been uncovered from a number of settlements in Ireland; Dublin, Limerick, Meath and Tyrone to name a few locations. It was only when wedge tombs were excavated in the 1930s that there was actual proof of Beaker Bell existence in Ireland and from that it was assumed the people were an important component of the Irish population at that time (Waddell 2010, 129) and they were also recognised as the people that introduced the understanding of metal working to Ireland. The “Beaker Folk” are all connected by their similar techniques and artefacts but their geographical location seems to be an influence in their day to day practices, for example the stark difference in Irish and British Beaker Bell funerary rituals (Waddell 2010, 130). It seems the one

I found my home in the ceramics department a little over a year ago after a slightly distressing period of exploration. I was initially won over by the tactile nature of clay but I soon discovered that ceramics encompassed everything I wanted in a medium. I have the freedom to move between art and design and with its virtually endless possibilities of making, the field of ceramics will always keep my curious mind fed.

One of the ancient types of glaze for ceramics is called Nuka Glaze. In Ancient Japan the empty rice husk were burned and the ashes from the husk mixed with cobalt or iron into glaze. The ash is mainly silica and as previously said is the main ingredient of glaze. The pots was often dipped in cobalt or iron powder to give the pot a blue or brown color. The process of nuka glazing can be done with wood and depending on the recipe you use can be from cone ten to cone twelve.

The Assyrians developed glasswork as well as glazes for pottery and art to help it last longer.

Copper was used in limited quantities for beads and simple tools, but most implements were knapped from stone. Palettes made of stone were used for grinding eye paint. Small sculptures and figurines were either carved from ivory and bone or modelled in clay.

One of the early methods of glass making was called core forming. This technique made use of a metal rod that had clay attached at one end. The end of the rod with the clay around it was either lowered into molten glass or the glass was poured onto the clay. The glass surrounding the clay would solidify