pdp1@EARTHLINK.NET on mon 2 feb 04
more on that annoying 'Basket' apocraphy and so on...
Hi Vince, all...
To me as well, if differently, the notion of the
Clay-Lined-Basket for Water or anything, makes no sense as a
precursor of Pottery proper, nor as a precursor of anything,
nor as something in it's own right as anyone would have
done.
If one wishes to carry Water, or merely to have it handy
even if a Water source is somewhat near, it may be done, and
was done, and is done, with skins sewn to form a suitable
bag...with hollow, appropriately shaped Gourds, and with
such finely woven Baskets as do in fact hold water, if maybe
a little less well than say a Gourd or tight Skin Bag
might...
Water is heavy enough on it's own, and no one in my
imagination would have wanted to carry Water 'in' clay
vessels, whether or not the Clay aspect were liners of some
supposed
Basket. As well as the liability of Clay when dry or when
fired, to be frangible. While a Bag made of skin or a Basket
may be pliable and yielding to incidental contusions or
falls...
Too, the kind of fired clay as can be expected to result
from a cookfire, I do not think will sustain a very water
resistant quality for long, will it? Nor be very much more
durable than if it were merely dried, so far as doing
anything with it may be concerned?
I think something more than a mere 'fire' would have been as
necessary for their conjectural 'fired' Clay things to have
been of any import or use to them as 'things' to be used,
just as it is for ours.
A shaped, covered, Oven form, ( as say, something like the
shape of an Airplane Hanger if with narrowed ends as may be
regulated with a stone or other,) with a breeze or wind as
may blow through it more or less correctly, would be able to
get a serious heat when well stoked and tended, and, in
fact, had been used in some very early times and recent as
well, to smelt Iron even...and such an 'oven' form seems to
me to be a likely developement for any ancient People, even
as I myself, knowing nothing of these matters as a Child,
made similar 'oven' things just to see how 'hot' and what
effects from that 'hot' I might get...burning little rocks
and so on to get them to change color after cooling, melting
things, 'cans' an so on, or to
shatter rocks introduced in their heating.
If I had had any Clay handy, I
would have played and experimented with it too...as, I
imagine, any number of early peoples would have done, and
did do, whether Nomadic or not.
Anyway...make sense?
Yours,
Phil
lasvegas
----- Original Message -----
From: "Vince Pitelka"
(..snip...)
> With all due respect to those who believe in the
clay-lined basked falling
> in the fire, it overlooks the obvious. Both the creation
of a woven basket,
> and the practical step of lining it with clay so as to
make it hold ground
> materials are acts requiring considerable creative
intellect and reasoning
> power. The discovery of fired clay in an earthen hearth
is much easier than
> that.
> Best wishes -
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