2012.91.196, jar, low-fired pottery; 4000–3500 B.C.
Eason Eige Collection; photo by T. Ocken
2012.91.196, jar, low-fired pottery; 4000–3500 B.C.
Eason Eige Collection; photo by T. Ocken
The jar shown above is, we believe, from the Miaodigou phase of the Yangshao culture—making it up to six thousand years old—and the earliest ceramic vessel in the Eige collection. Yangshao culture village sites are found in a broad area along the Yellow River. The villages were created by Neolithic farmers who grew millet and also relied heavily on hunting and fishing.
Although the pot looks rather crude, potters of the time were also making
more sophisticated pieces, including painted ones. Not surprising, given that
by the time this jar was made, the Chinese had been making pottery for
thousands of years. The crudeness is thus a matter of function: this was
a "kitchen" piece for food storage and similar purposes, not one of the
family's "fancy" pieces used for food presentation.
See source code for copyright information. Page last revised on November 19, 2015. Please report problems to toh@unm.edu