Sale!

The Origins and Use of the Potter’s Wheel in Ancient Egypt (Archaeopress Egyptology)

Amazon.com Price:  $43.17 (as of 03/05/2019 05:54 PST- Details)

Categories: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Description

The invention of the wheel is ceaselessly highlighted as one of humankinds’ most significant inventions. Wheels do not exist in nature, and so can also be viewed entirely as a human-inspired invention. Machinery too, was once quite rare in the ancient world. The potter’s wheel is arguably the most significant machine introduced into Egypt, second only most likely to the drill, the loom and the bellows for smelting metal. In Predynastic Egypt (c3500 B.C.), the traditional methods of hand-building pottery vessels were already successful in producing pottery vessels of prime quality on a large scale for the domestic market, so it would seem that the potter’s wheel was once a somewhat superfluous invention. Alternatively, the affect of this innovation would not just have affected the Egyptian potters themselves learning a new skill, but also signaled the beginnings of a more complex and technologically advanced society.

Despite many years work on the technology of pottery production it is most likely surprising that the origins of the potter’s wheel in Egypt have yet to be decided. This present project seeks to rectify this situation by determining when the potter’s wheel was once introduced into Egypt, establishing in what contexts wheel thrown pottery occurs, and considering the reasons why the Egyptians introduced the wheel when a well-established hand making pottery industry already existed.

Related products

Home » Shop » Books » Subjects » Arts and Photography » History and Criticism » History » Ancient Civilizations » Egypt » The Origins and Use of the Potter’s Wheel in Ancient Egypt (Archaeopress Egyptology)

Recent Products