Origin of Chinaware What does the word Chinaware mean? The word Chinaware is composed of 2 words, China and ware. The word ware refers to things that are made in bulk and sold, such as software, silverware, etc. The word China refers to ceramics, typically of high quality, but not necessarily, and typically used for eating, although not necessarily. For example, depending on the person, some people consider vases and ornaments to be Chinaware, and even if not made of high-quality ceramics. Most definitions of the word Chinaware seem to focus on high-quality dishes used for eating. Thus, it seems that there is no precise and exact definition for the word. Whatever you may personally choose to include within the word, Chinaware, as with China, refers to types of ceramics. What are ceramics? Ceramics are things, perhaps we should call them products here, that are made from dirt that has been heated to a high temperature to make them hard. Certain types of dirt are preferable to others. The word dirt here means whatever is on the ground, also known by names such as soil, earth, or ground. Clay is an example of desirable dirt, as it contains more desirable minerals and fewer impurities that do not contribute to good ceramics. The ground also contains metals, which can be extracted and processed. The term ceramics does not include objects made from metallic minerals, but only those made from non-metallic minerals. Because ceramics require heating, the origin of ceramics could not have preceded mankind?s discovery of how to control fire. When did that happen? Our ancestors of an earlier species, Homo erectus, first learned to control fire hundreds of thousands of years ago. They undoubtedly encountered fire during lightning strikes, for example. Perhaps they carried burning tree branches back to their living area. Once such branches were obtained, it was important to have someone keep the fire burning, because if it were to go out they would not have been able to restart the fire without waiting for another lightning strike, which was not very reliable. These early humans would build pits in the ground to keep their fires burning. These pits came to be called hearths. Within a pit, the fire would be protected from the wind. People would have used such fire to keep warm, to cook, to provide light to enable more activities at night, to scare aware wild animals, etc. It is quite likely that the origins of ceramics began soon after the discovery of fire. Sitting around a fire pit, our ancestors surely would have noticed that over time, the dirt around the fire pit became much harder and stronger than the dirt had been when the pit was first dug. Perhaps some enterprising individuals, by accident or design, would have shaped figures or ornaments from dirt and placed or tossed them in the fire. After a while, they would have become hardened and retained their shape thereafter. This was the birth of ceramics. Ceramics did not become extremely important to humans until some 10,000 years ago or so. It was then that agriculture started to become prevalent. The coming of agriculture created a need for durable and lasting storage vessels. Agriculture led to the creation of cities, which would use ceramics to store grain and maintain government records. Agriculture also provided a fixed location of habitation, such that transporting heavy ceramics did not pose an insurmountable problem. This need and opportunity led to advancements in technology, such as the potter?s wheel, greater range of use, and much larger volume of production.

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