A long-overdue advancement in ceramic studies, this volume sheds new light on the adoption and dispersal of pottery by non-agricultural societies of prehistoric Eurasia. Major contributions from Western Europe, Eastern Europe and Asia make this a truly international work that brings together different theories and material for the first time. Researchers and scholars studying the origins and dispersal of pottery, the prehistoric peoples or Eurasia, and flow of ancient technologies will all benefit from this book.

Publisher description

Starting with the basic question "What is pottery?" this book investigates ceramic production throughout the world over the past 12,000 years. Drawing on the collections of the British Museum, the contributors examine more than thirty pottery traditions, including those of ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, prehistoric Japan, pre-Hispanic Peru, classical Greece, Ming China, and medieval and Renaissance Europe, as well as the ceramics of contemporary Africa and India. With an emphasis on the technological aspects of pottery production, Pottery in the Making also addresses the broader environmental, political, and cultural contexts in which the potters worked. Discussing the role of tradition in modern studio pottery, this comprehensive volume illuminates the continuing link between potters past and present.

Predominantly on rice cultivation and pottery in Middle East and East Asian countries.