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nomadic people and pots

updated thu 31 jul 97

 

Thomas Clark on tue 15 jul 97

Original Message:
> but pottery predates Christianity indeed
> civilization and there must have been many pagan gods and goddesses some
> of whom may have become subsumed into the Christian ones as so often
> happened.

Pottery, it would seem, is/was an indicator of civilization. It's
antiquity could never be disputed, but in order to make pottery a
certain, if basic, level of infrastructure is essential -- gotta have
suitable material, means to clean it up, essential tools, drying
accomodations, and, of course, some way to fire it. It is doubtful that
such infrastructure could have been maintained by nomadic peoples -- one
doesn't see Mongolian tribes or Lapps making pots.

----------------Reply---------------

What about the early Jomon peoples of ancient Japan? They were nomadic,
preagricultural peoples who made pots! There are pottery shards that date to
the Incipient Jomon period (c. 10,500-8000 B.C.E). - Penelope Mason, The
History of Japanese Art

Sorry I don't know more about the actual issue, pagan gods and goddesses.

-Amber Geiger
Sapporo, Japan

kinoko@junction.net on wed 16 jul 97

Tom, Perhaps fear for the destruction of cities as trading centres has
placed us in a mndset where we believe "nomadic" indicates constant
movement. Not so. Nomadic peoples very often have had specific locations
which may have been visited and utilized over long periods of time.(Mountain
meadows through spring and summer,followed by low-land range at other
times.) Plenty of time to make pots when the proper location was utilized.
Clay pots arise out of necessity. West Coast Aborigines did all of their
cooking in cedar boxes,using hot stones. In New Guinea,although pots are not
found in the low and very humid lands,(No dry wood!) they are found to some
extent in mountainous,drier regions. Don
M.>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>Original Message:
>> but pottery predates Christianity indeed
>> civilization and there must have been many pagan gods and goddesses some
>> of whom may have become subsumed into the Christian ones as so often
>> happened.
>
>Pottery, it would seem, is/was an indicator of civilization. It's
>antiquity could never be disputed, but in order to make pottery a
>certain, if basic, level of infrastructure is essential -- gotta have
>suitable material, means to clean it up, essential tools, drying
>accomodations, and, of course, some way to fire it. It is doubtful that
>such infrastructure could have been maintained by nomadic peoples -- one
>doesn't see Mongolian tribes or Lapps making pots.
>
>----------------Reply---------------
>
>What about the early Jomon peoples of ancient Japan? They were nomadic,
>preagricultural peoples who made pots! There are pottery shards that date to
>the Incipient Jomon period (c. 10,500-8000 B.C.E). - Penelope Mason, The
>History of Japanese Art
>
>Sorry I don't know more about the actual issue, pagan gods and goddesses.
>
>-Amber Geiger
>Sapporo, Japan
>
>
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** Falkland, B.C. **
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