Research update: Brick Development
Clay History Clay is one of the most universal materials known to man throughout history and around the world, people have developed the art of forming clay from earth and water to make ceramics. Pottery is the oldest form of handicraft - even writing, the very method of communication which created a foundation for human development, came after the first clay pots. The earliest forms of pottery date back to 16,500 years ago in Japan - they were unglazed pots. From that time other civilisations created things out of clay; the ancient Greeks are renowned for pottery. The word ceramic comes from Greek ‘keramos’ meaning clay. Brick history I have chosen to explore brick forms as a start to my practical exploration of the themes of inquiry. Bricks are probably one of the earliest architectural uses of clay known to man. They have been traced back over 10,000 years where wet earth was formed into bricks and left to bake in the sun to then be used in the construction of shelter. As...