Pottery Vessels: One of Humanity’s Oldest Creations Pottery vessels may be among the oldest artifacts made by humans. Early humans, when they began thinking about storing water and food and discovered the adhesive and moldable properties of clay, crafted pottery vessels in various shapes. Over time and with the expansion of human life, pottery evolved. Creators decorated clay vessels with patterns and adorned them with various colors. In several regions of Iran — including Mend of Gonabad, Laljin, Meybod in Yazd, Kashan, Shahr-e-Rey in Isfahan, Zanuz in Azerbaijan, Kozeh-Kanan in Azerbaijan, Kalpurgan in Sistan and Baluchestan, Juybar in Mazandaran, and Siyahkal in Gilan — pottery vessels are produced. Although the raw materials, colors, and designs used to make pottery and ceramic products vary slightly in these regions, the products from each area are easily distinguishable from those of others. Historical Background of Pottery The Venus figurine; the earliest known ceramic objects date back to 29,000 to 25,000 BCE. Two thin ceramic tiles, painted with floral and bird motifs and coated with a colored glaze over a white glaze, date back to the first half of the 19th century during the Qajar era. Pottery making dates back to when humans lived on plains and formed early villages in a sedentary lifestyle. These vessels were usually made for storing food. Pottery vessels are durable and non-perishable, but their discovery has also allowed the interpretation and understanding of important aspects of early human life. Stages of Pottery Making The stages of making and evolving pottery vessels include: Hand-building (without a potter's wheel): Made by hand using various techniques such as coiling. Using the potter’s wheel. Creating sculptural or composite forms: In addition to their functional use, pottery vessels were shaped into sculptures of animals or composite forms, reflecting their worldview. Studying the origins of writing would not be possible without examining the engravings on pottery, especially pottery from the 5th and 6th millennia BCE, which play an undeniable role. Realism in Early Human Art From cave paintings to depictions of plants, animals, and humans on pottery up to the beginning of writing, this is a long process. As long as pottery was handmade, realistic depictions prevailed. Although writing began in Mesopotamia and reached its peak in Egypt with hieroglyphics, the evolution of pottery decorations ultimately led to the invention of ideographic writing. This development took thousands of years and continued until the millennium before Christ when pottery was still handmade. From the early 2nd millennium BCE, pottery decorations not only showed observations but also conveyed symbolic meanings. The ideographic script developed during this period is mysterious, more concise, and written faster.