Ceramic Vases

Some of the oldest relics of antiquity are ceramic vases, some of which date back into pre-history before the dawn of civilization. A British Broadcasting Company report from June of 2009 reported the discovery and carbon dating of pieces of ceramic vases from Yuchanyan in China's Hunan province. They were dated to between 17,500 and 18,300 years old - or more than 8000 years older than the oldest known city or town recorded by science.

Ceramic Vases are as popular today as they were with the cave men of Yuchanyan for both their decoration and usefulness. The ancient Greeks, for example, used a type of ceramic vase called an "amphora", which was typically tall and thin, with two large handles on the sides for lifting. The amphora were used to carry all kinds of commodities; water, grapes, olives, wine, fish, cereals, et cetera et cetera.

They were also used as decoration, as ornate amphora were often carved with images of certain favored gods. Ceramic vases of this type, whether whole or in pieces, have been found all over the middle east. The oldest began showing up along the Syrian coast north of what is today Lebanon around the 1500s BC. That means they've been around for 3500 years, whereas ceramic vases in totality have been around for five times as long.

Of course, amphora went out of style around the 7th century AD, and ceramic vases today aren't typically used for business or market needs as they once were. That said, there are still some pre-industrial places in the world where vases much like the amphora are used by the natives to get their goods to and from the market.

Today in the western world, ceramic vases are almost strictly decoration. Whether it be flowers or berries, or a place to store your tea, most people have a few ceramic vases in their house squirrelled away in one corner or another. There's still a thriving industry for them, and a quick google search will bring up thousands of hits by various stores, artists and merchants who sell everything from off-the-shelf to custom-made ceramics.

NOVICA is one of the most prominent makers of ceramic vases today, advertising cheap and durable products in a variety of styles that can fit your house's decorative needs. Another company to look at is Janet Jacobs Pottery, which is based out of California and does custom ceramics work.

Of course the most sure way to get custom work to your specs is to take a class in ceramics. Most colleges offer them, and most big cities have pottery and clay shops where they offer classes on making your own ceramics - be they sculpture, vases, or anything else under the sun.

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