Ceramics is one of the most valuable cultural relics in archaeology. Pottery and porcelain are made of clay. Why did they have such superb technology in ancient times?

China had been able to produce quite exquisite porcelain more than 1000 years before Europe mastered porcelain-making technology. Judging from the development history of China ceramics, the word "ceramics" is generally divided into two categories: pottery and porcelain. The development of traditional ceramics in China has experienced a long historical period, with a wide variety and unique technology. Therefore, the classification of traditional ceramics in China needs to consider not only hard technical indicators, but also the classification methods of traditional habits and the changes of scientific and technological knowledge in ancient and modern times, so as to draw more effective classification conclusions.

From the legendary Yellow Emperor Yao Shun to the Xia Dynasty (about 2 1 century BC-65432+0/6th century BC), painted pottery marked its development. Among them, there are typical Yangshao culture, Majiayao culture and Qijia culture later discovered in Gansu. After liberation, a large number of beautifully made painted pottery were unearthed from the prehistoric site in Anbanpo, Xi 'an, which was amazing.

According to legend, Yao spread the world to Shun, Shun spread the world to Yu spread the world to his son and started the so-called "home world". Xia Chuanzhi was ruthless and tyrannical. Shang Tang released him and became emperor on his own, so he began to conquer the Tang Dynasty. Shang ruled the world for more than 600 years (about16th century BC-about 1 1 century BC) until. After being conquered, he committed suicide and the world returned to Zhou. The ruling period of the Zhou Dynasty was roughly 1 1 century BC to 22 1 year BC, and the effective rule actually ended in 77 1 year BC.

The period from 475 BC to 22 1 year BC is called the Warring States Period. By 22 1 year BC, the Qin Dynasty had risen and unified China, but it lasted only 206 BC and was replaced by the Han Dynasty. During these thousands and hundreds of years, in addition to daily dining utensils, things used for sacrificial ceremonies have also developed greatly.

In the Han Dynasty from 206 BC to 220 AD, the creative materials of artists and craftsmen were no longer mainly jade and metal, and pottery was paid more attention. During this period, with the development of firing technology, relatively strong glazed pottery generally appeared, and the word "porcelain" began to appear in Chinese characters. At the same time, through the trade routes from Xinjiang and Persia to Syria, China began to communicate with the Roman Empire, which promoted the cultural exchanges between the East and the West. From this period, we can also see the clues of external influence in ceramic products.

Buddhism was also introduced into China at this time. During the Six Dynasties (A.D. 220-58 1), the rapidly rising Buddhist art also had a corresponding influence on ceramics, leaving obvious traces on the modeling of this season's works. The Sui Dynasty seized power in 58 1 year, ending the long-term division between North and South, but it was not until 6 18 year that it was replaced by the Tang Dynasty.