Are you looking for products that are hygienic and environmentally friendly at the same time? Then ceramic or clay products are the best products for your home. Ceramic is one of the most hygienic materials that is dirt-repellent and odorless.
Maison Zoe has set itself the goal of bringing the old craft to life and thus enabling people worldwide to purchase sustainable and environmentally friendly products. With this blog we want to give you some insights into the history of pottery in Egypt. Here you will find out when ceramics were invented, which manufacturing processes exist and which products you can get in the Maison Zoe shop.
History of pottery in Egypt
In ancient Egypt, ceramic vessels made of fired clay were mainly used as household goods to store, transport, prepare and consume food and raw materials. These included water jugs, cutlery, bread baking molds, beer and wine containers, but also lamps and fire ponds. In order to be able to manufacture all these Egyptian ceramic vessels, one has to first deal with the main material, clay. In principle, a distinction is made between two groups of clays based on their chemical and mineralogical composition and properties. The two keys are called Nilton and Mergelton.
Compared to marl clay, the Nilton has a particularly high silicon content and a higher iron oxide content. This means that Nilton already contains sand and fine stone particles in its original composition. The black to red burning Nilton comes from the fertile land, in short “Black Land”. It was spread all over the country along the Nile and was therefore easily accessible to everyone.
Nilton products are known for their low hardness and high porosity. That is why Nilton was mainly used for household dishes and other containers. The porosity of the marl earthenware is much lower than that of the nil earthenware, which is why marl clay was mainly used to produce storage vessels and figure vessels. The deposits of the soft pink to greenish burning marl clay are usually higher than the fruit land and are mostly to be found in the desert, the “Red Land”.
Manufacturing methods of ceramics
In ancient Egypt, there are five different construction techniques in the ceramic manufacturing process:
Product formation by hand
Product shaping using a rotatable base
Product formation on a hand-operated potter’s wheel
Product formation with the help of models
Product formation on a rapidly rotating pottery wheel driven by the foot
The clay obtained is mostly cleaned and ground to powder before processing. The powder is then mixed with water in large tanks until a kind of clay paste is formed. The desired products are then shaped by the potter according to the above-mentioned processes and hardened in the oven.
Ceramic products of today
Ceramic is now one of the most important materials. Nowadays, countless kitchen utensils and cross-divisional products are produced from it. Here you will find glazed vases and dishes made of clay, such as coffee cups, mocha cups, plates and much more. Convince yourself of the beauty of the craftsmanship in our shop.