Ceramics
Throughout history, ceramics have an important part to play in
understanding the culture, technology, and behaviours of humans.
Ceramic fragments can tell us a lot about what people ate and their
methods of cooking, their journeys and trade partners, and their
level of technological and creative sophistication. Ceramics have
been made and used by humans for at least 26,000 years, with the
earliest examples of sculpted ceramic figurines found in southern
central Europe. It was not until 10,000 years later that domestic
pottery for dishes became common, with makers mixing clay and
animal product to form the objects. Nowadays, ceramics can be
used for many reasons, but the most common uses range from
structural, such as bricks, pipes and tiles for floors and roofs;
domestic whiteware including decorative wall tiles, and domestic
sanitary products like lavatories and sinks; technical ceramics for
use in engineering; in refractories, for kiln linings, and in steel
and glass making; and, as shown in this section, practical and
ornamental decorative ceramics.