Portuguese Handcrafted Clay Cup

Potteryis the process of forming vessels and other objects withclayand otherceramicmaterials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard, durable form. Major types includeearthenware,stonewareandporcelain. The place where such wares are made by apotteris also called apottery(plural "potteries"). The definition ofpotteryused by theAmerican Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), is "all fired ceramic wares that contain clay when formed, except technical, structural, and refractory products.Inarchaeology, especially of ancient and prehistoric periods, "pottery" often means vessels only, and figures etc. of the same material are called "terracottas". Clay as a part of the materials used is required by some definitions of pottery, but this is dubious..

Pottery is one of theoldest human inventions, originating before the Neolithic period, with ceramic objects like theGravettiancultureVenus of Dolní Věstonicefigurine discovered in the Czech Republic dating back to 29,000–25,000 BC,and pottery vessels that were discovered in Jiangxi, China, which date back to 18,000 BC. Early Neolithic and pre-Neolithic pottery artifacts have been found, inJōmonJapan (10,500 BC),the Russian Far East (14,000 BC),Sub-Saharan Africa (9,400 BC),South America (9,000s-7,000s BC),and the Middle East (7,000s-6,000s BC).