Ceramic is both a material and a cultural category, central to archaeology, anthropology, and industrial science. It refers to objects made from clay and other inorganic materials that are shaped and hardened by heat.
🌍 Definition
- Ceramic: Any non-metallic, inorganic material formed by shaping and firing at high temperatures.
- Composition: Typically clay minerals (kaolinite, illite, montmorillonite) mixed with temper (sand, crushed stone, shell) to improve durability.
- Properties: Hard, brittle, heat-resistant, and often porous unless glazed.
🔑 Archaeological & Anthropological Contexts
- Prehistoric Ceramics:
- First appeared ~24,000 years ago (e.g., Venus figurines of Dolní Věstonice).
- Pottery vessels emerged ~10,000 years ago with Neolithic farming communities.
- Cultural Significance:
- Used for cooking, storage, ritual, and art.
- Decoration (paint, incising, stamping) reflects cultural identity and symbolism.
- Chronological Tool:
- Ceramic typology is a cornerstone of archaeological dating, since styles change over time.
- Ethnographic Parallels:
- Many Indigenous societies continue ceramic traditions, linking past and present.
📚 Industrial & Scientific Contexts
- Traditional Ceramics: Pottery, tiles, bricks, porcelain.
- Advanced Ceramics: Engineered materials like alumina, silicon carbide, zirconia—used in electronics, aerospace, medicine.
- Applications:
- Heat shields, biomedical implants, cutting tools, superconductors.
- Material Properties:
- High compressive strength, chemical stability, electrical insulation.
In short: Ceramic is a fired, inorganic material that bridges archaeology and industry—used for pottery, ritual, and art in ancient societies, and for advanced engineering applications today.
