The story of this difficult and challenging phenomenon only began after people left off being hunters and gatherers, settled down in one place and started producing their own food. In other words after they became farmers. Although this stage in human civilisation begins around the 10th millennium BC, it was only around 7000 BC that pottery vessels began to be made. This long interval of several thousand years shows that the development of pottery was by no means as simple as it seems.
People had made the acquaintance of clay long before. An astonishing 35,000 years ago they discovered that this malleable material could be shaped, as proved by the existence of many figurines and relief figures

Then, after making the transition to a settled way of life, clay was used in the construction of houses. It was spread on floors, walls, hearths and roofs, mixed into mortar, and smeared over storage vessels and storage rooms made of reeds or wicker. Only later did people discover that when clay was heated by fire it became stronger and harder, and they began to heat their figurines, jewellery and other small objects. As they gradually gained understanding of the chemical properties of clay, they learned to control the fire required to harden it, and then learned to combine this knowledge to make pottery vessels, so achieving one of the greatest revolutions that marks the Neolithic age.

Although it is not known whether these plates have the same meaning, this is suggested by the eye motifs resembling evil eye beads which encircle them since these motifs express the wish for good fortune and abundance.

* Nebil Üster is a freelance writer.