----------------------------------------------------------------------
The Learning Kingdom's Cool Fact of the Day for April 20, 1999
----------------------------------------------------------------------
When was the first pottery made?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
The oldest known pottery (vessels and other objects made out of fired
clay) was made in Japan about 12,700 years ago, at the beginning of
the Jomon period of Japanese history.
Jomon means "marked with a rope," a reference to the distinctive
surface patterns of some Jomon pottery. Braided rope was wrapped
around the objects before they were fired, or rope-like strands of
clay were added for a decorative trim.
The red-brown, unglazed pottery from this time was fired in only the
most primitive ways, sometimes just an open fire. Although the
methods were primitive, some Jomon pottery was very ornate, with
highly sculptured rims and elaborate, detailed patterns.
More about Jomon pottery and early Japanese history:
http://www.rekihaku.ac.jp/e_zyoosetu/no1/
http://pages.nyu.edu/~sw4/jomon.html
A quick tour of Japanese art history:
http://fmc.utm.edu/~dmcbeth/asiart/japan.htm
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Cool Fact of the Day list membership: 100,197
----------------------------------------------------------------------
To subscribe, visit http://www.tlk-lists.com/join/
To unsubscribe, visit http://www.tlk-lists.com/change/
To become a sponsor, visit http://www.tlk-lists.com/sponsor/
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright (c) 1999, The Learning Kingdom, Inc.
http://www.LearningKingdom.com
----------------------------------------------------------------------
