The development of pottery was a milestone in human history. These durable and watertight containers enabled people to boil and steam food for the first time which allowed them to exploit new sources of food such as shellfish, acorns, and leafy vegetables. Soft boiled foods could be eaten by toothless children and the elderly which permitted caregivers to spend more time producing food. In Japan, the introduction of pottery was followed by a population explosion.[1]
Since pottery is a durable, man-made artifact which was utilized by various cultures around the world, it has proven to be a boon for archaeologists. Broken pottery in archaeological sites, called sherds, help identify the resident culture and date the stratum by the formation, style and decoration. The relative chronologies based on pottery are essential for dating the remains of non-literate cultures and help in the dating of some historic cultures as well.
While ceramics had been developed much earlier in Europe,[2] most archaeologists believe that pottery was first developed by the Jomon in Japan around 10,500 BC.[3]
It appears that pottery was then independently developed in North Africa during the 10th millenium b.p.[4] and in South America during the 7th millenium b.p.[5]
The invention of the potter's wheel in Mesopotamia sometime between 6,000 and 2,400 BC revolutionized pottery production. Specialized potters were then able to meet the burgeoning needs of the world's first cities.
