The Legacy of Mesopotamia: A Transformation from Glazed Brick to Modern Art Practices
by Hasan BaşkırkanMesopotamia, one of the oldest civilizations in human history, has had a profound influence on architectural and artistic practices. Glazed brick, a key material in this region, transitioned from load…
Another Brick in the Wall
Some people may still remember Charles Kingsley’s The Water Babies; the once immensely popular Victorian story of Tom who escapes from the cruel life as a child chimney sweep. What people may not know…
Why Are There No Adult Male Figures on Ancient Chinese Ceramic Pillows?
Archaeologists have found that ancient Chinese people commonly used ceramic pillows for sleeping. This raises questions about the comfort of such hard pillows namely, how could they be comfortable to…
Brick by Brick: A brief History of Clay Bricks from Kansas, USA
by Chris GarciaLet’s face it – bricks are boring. They are rectangular, made of clay, and simply used as literal ‘building’ blocks for utilitarian purposes. I thought this way for decades. I have used fire-bricks to…
The Ceramics of Shäki, Azerbaijan
From the Neolithic period to the present day, Asia Minor, including Azerbaijan and Anatolia, has been an important location for ceramics, and many sites hold archaeological value. The fact that Anatol…
The British Tradition of Tea Drinking from Ceramic Cups
Tea consumption in Britain, compared to a similar tradition in the Far East, began much later, just three hundred years ago. Nevertheless, it quickly won its connoisseurs among all sections of the pop…