Potter's Wheel
4000 BC - 3100 BC
Clay, Plaster
Chogha Mish
2.6 cm x 36.7 cm diam.
A39942
Clay, Plaster
Chogha Mish
2.6 cm x 36.7 cm diam.
A39942
Oriental Institute Museum
Potter's Wheel
Early pottery was hand made and often elaborately decorated. Pottery began to be mass-produced in specialized workshops when the use of the potter's wheel became widespread, beginning in about 3500 BC. The shapes of vessels became more uniform and standardized, and most pottery was undecorated.
Suggested Readings
Hodges, Henry. Technology in the Ancient World. New York: Barnes and Noble Books, 1992.
Kramer, Samuel Noah. Cradle of Civilization. Alexandria, VA: Time-Life Books, 1967.
Roaf, Michael. Cultural Atlas of Mesopotamia and the Ancient Near East. New York: Facts on File, 1990.