The Origin of Ceramics took place a long time ago, stay and find out what the History of Ceramics was like.

The word " Ceramic " comes from the Greek . Some believe it originated from the name " Ceramos ," son of the gods "Ariadne" and "Dionysus" in Greek mythology, to whom the Hellenes attributed the invention of pottery. Others believe it simply comes from " Keramiké ," meaning clay.

Ceramics have been used for thousands of years . Even in the Neolithic era, pottery was a very rudimentary art . There were no glazes or designs. Later, humans realized that a useful object could also be beautiful. It was then that the first varnishes appeared, which also served to waterproof objects. Thus emerged the glazed vessels of the Sumerians and the decorated amphorae of the Egyptians. In Mesopotamia, they made polychrome bricks to cover the fronts of their palaces.

- See our Vases section

- See our Amphora section

In the East , three thousand years before our era, the Chinese cultivated this art, but not only for utilitarian purposes . They enameled, decorated, and sculpted for pleasure. Porcelain originated in China, which was later discovered by Portuguese sailors in the 16th century and brought to Europe.

In the Mediterranean , the potter's wheel , which was then pedal-powered, appeared in the second millennium BC . The Greeks drew on the experience of their master potters, the Assyrian and Chaldean potters. On the islands of Crete, Tiryns, Athens, and Samos, amphorae and cups were produced that were truly works of art , decorated with seascapes. The pottery found in the palaces of Knossos and Phaistos is surprisingly modern.

In Italy , the Etruscans were very advanced in this art, which was also highly appreciated by the Romans.

The Muslims enriched pottery with new designs and colors . Cuerda seca (dry rope) was one of the techniques they developed, a highly decorative technique applied to tiles. Three hundred years ago, the Arabs of Spain had learned varnish, an essential technique for glazing any ceramic object.

Then began the production of tableware , pottery , and tiles , which gave rise to the modern earthenware. This technique was soon imitated by other artisans, and spread to Italy and Germany.

Furthermore, when Columbus arrived in the New World, the indigenous people of America were working with ceramics , which could even be compared to the artistic works of the ancient Mediterranean civilization.

Any ceramic object we see tells us about the people or civilization that made or used it. The technique, the paste, the shape and the decoration allow us to understand the functional and aesthetic needs, the economic situation, the cultural level, the technological development and the social group to which it belonged, as well as its expressive needs and it can even tell us about its relationship with the divine. It comes to be a faithful reflection of its creativity and its evolution , of its technical development , witness to its customs , its ideas , its religious conception and its obsessions .

Pottery and creator myths are linked to the origin of life and the origin of man through stories from numerous religions and mythologies of ancient cultures in which the birth of human beings is explained by creator gods who act as potters .

Thus we say that ceramics constitute one of the oldest and most characteristic artisanal and industrial manifestations of the human species.