Ideas prevail through ages and eras, yet they are often too abstract for the human mind to perceive, and are all subject to diverse interpretations and unintentional distortions. After all, that is something concrete and material in nature that provides us a window into the past lives of our ancestors - provided that they survived the history's ‘wear-and-tear challenge’. The importance of the preservation of heritage cannot be overstated - and indeed much of our knowledge of ancient civilizations are derived from the studies and analysis of these artifacts from a long, long time ago. Let's talk about something that is hard enough to stand the test of time - the ceramics from ancient Greece!
Now, it is not mere wordplay when we say ceramics are hard. The pottery ceramic that we will focus on belongs to a large group of chemical compounds termed as ceramics. In terms of chemical composition, they are often some sort of clay or metal oxides, in particular for the pottery, they are often aluminum oxide or silicon dioxide. Due to the molecular arrangement, ceramics tend to be hard. Yet, their chemical structure also dictates them to be brittle, thus they can fracture and break into pieces easily. This property is in contrast to other sort of polymeric and elastic material, which possesses the resilience to ‘bounce back’ due to their more flexible molecular structure. For the production of ceramic pottery, they are mostly conducted through a general 2-stage approach. The process starts with the preparation of a homogeneous and viscous paste, which is then submitted to firing - baking at a high temperature - to afford the final pottery product.
The word ‘ceramic’ is derived from the Greek word κεραμικός , which means ‘of or for pottery’. Indeed the Greek demiogod Ceramus was designated as the protector of potters and pottery. of potters. Though the production of pottery in Greece can be dated as early as the Mycenaean era, it is important to appreciate that the Greek civilization was certainly not the first to engage in the art of pottery. After all, the ancient Greek culture is relatively young when it is compared to the ancient river valley civilizations. Pottery and ceramic products were prevalent in Mesopotamia, Egypt, India and China. One should not be surprised to find out that the applications of the ceramic products were all very similar among different civilizations. From anthropology and comparative religion, it is evident that there has been some interactions between different civilizations. The Babylonians have had some interactions with Egyptians, and the latter's influence on the Greek culture is well-known. The appreciation of pottery has been extended to later time and Roman ceramics represent an important heritage of the Roman Empire. From my previous article, it can also be seen that the Romans were also well versed in the production of building materials, where the basic approach is still applied to nowadays.
The applications of pottery in the ancient world went hand-in-hand with the daily life of the people. The most obvious application was as various utensils and containers. The pottery products varied, and the exceedingly large-sized pottery products were to be placed at permanent locations. The more portable-sized ones can be moved around easily and thus they were used in day-to-day situations.
A more important application of the pottery products was for the diverse religious activities. While this issue may sound less relevant to a modern secular audience, the religious outlook was very important for the ancient Greeks, and indeed for any ancient civilizations. The key is that these activities often facilitate community formation for the civilization in question, and they served as a catalyst for the establishment of a cultural identity. The ceramics were used in various religious ceremonies, rituals and funerals. A classic example is the act of libation, which means the ritual pouring of wine to a deity or a spirit, often serving the memories of the dead. These pottery products are important because they give the modern people tools to reconstruct the details of the religious cults themselves. Often the vases were painted with images that described the myths and legends of the ancient civilizations. Through the analysis and interpretations of the paintings on the vases, scholars can decipher the secrets of a bygone era. The study of ancient artifacts is a large subject in its own right and I will not digress here.
The ancient Greek ceramics embrace Classical Ideals in terms of form and composition. The appearance and style reflect the Greek mindset, which is also evident in other art forms such as lyric poetry, tragedies and philosophy. If you have a chance to go to exhibitions that feature these great ancient artifacts, go for it. That is the best way you can have a satisfying peek about the ancient world!
by Ed Law
Conatus Classics
