Pottery and ceramics have a history almost as long as humankind's. Ancient and historical pottery give us a legacy that offers a wealth of inspiration, intrigue, and enjoyment. Learning about historical pottery is our way of connecting with the potters of the past.
A gallery of Mesoamerican pottery vessels and figures.
Images of ancient Greek pottery showing a diversity of types from alabastron to stauettes.
Gallery of pottery created by the Guanches people of the Canary Islands.
This is the story of the first production of porcelain in Europe. After porcelain pottery was first imported from China to Europe, European potters tried for many long years to replicate the porcelain clay body.
Where was porcelain clay first discovered, and who made this discovery? Here is a story of the first porcelain clay bodies.
German potters began salt glazing in the late 1300's or early 1400's in the Rhineland. Here is a legend about how it all came about.
A legend describing how the first copper red glazes were discovered.
Gary Conwell tells of finding ceramic and pottery grave markers, headstones, gravestones, and tombstones from the early 1900's in Missouri and Kansas cemeteries.
Fictional account of the making of a prized porcelain dragon flask during the Ming Dynasty in China.
Kris Hirst, the About.com Guide to Archeology, tells us about the beginnings of ceramics in this article.
Ceramics in archeology are used to speak to us about how ancient peoples lived, their culture, and their history.
A look at ancient Chinese pottery, from the Neolithic to the Tang Dynasty by About.com's Ancient History Guide, N.S. Gill.
About.com Ancient History Guide N.S. Gill gives a good overview at various types of Greek pottery.
N.S. Gill, Guide to Ancient History, tells about red-figure pottery from ancient Greece and four of the most famous vase painters of it.
K. Kris Hirst, About.com's Archaeology Guide, introduces us to the wondrous army of terracotta soldiers, horses, and charioteers that was created between about 246 BC and 209 BC in what is now China.
K. Kris Hirst, Archaeology Guide at About.com, presents a walking tour of the excavations of the terracotta army of Emperor Qin.
Islamic lusterware was first developed in the 8th century BC, and has a rich tradition. This image gallery presented by Archaeology Guide, K.Kris Hisrt, explores its history.
This is the online catalogue of the Freer and Sackler Galleries (both of the Smithsonian) Southeast Asian ceramics collections.
