Really, when you think about it, pottery is an amazing invention. Of all the kinds of artifacts which may be found at archaeological sites, ceramics--objects made from fired clay--are surely one of the most useful. Ceramic artifacts are extremely durable, and may last thousands of years virtually unchanged from the date of manufacture. And, ceramic artifacts, unlike stone tools, are completely person-made, shaped of clay and purposely fired. The story of pottery's invention is an old one, beginning with the
Jomon hunter-gatherers living on the island known now as Japan about 12,000 years ago.
- The Invention of Pottery, where you can learn more about archaeological evidence for the invention of ceramics, and including a bibliography of archaeological ceramics
- Japanese Prehistory, this course from Mark Ravina at Emory University has a number of features related to Jomon culture, including images of pots and figurines
- Jomon Pottery and Figurines, from Japanese Pottery Information Source
- Jomon Culture, archaeological sites and other information sources on the Jomon
- Ceramics and Pottery, more information about archaeology of the 'plastic art'
This photograph is of an incipient Jomon jar dated between 10,000 and 8,000 BC, and currently on display in the
Tokyo National Museum. The photo is currently in the public domain, and I found it on
Wikipedia.
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