Ceramics and Civilization, Volume VII

Application of heat to clay transforms it into a ceramic, and thus the history and technical features of structures supplying that heat - kilns - are of considerable importance. The 14 chapters in this volume discuss ancient and historic kilns from the viewpoint of their excavation, their operational principles, and their contributions to an understanding of ceramic production within ancient economies. Introduction and Overview by P.M. Rice.

Operational Principles of Ceramic Kilns (W.D. Kingery).

Inferring Firing Procedures from Sherds: Early Greek Kilns (K.D. Vitelli).

Pottery Firing Structures (Kilns) of the Indus Civilization During the Third Millennium B.C. (H.M.-L. Miller).

The Jingdezhen Egg-Shaped Kiln (J.Q. Hu and H.T. Li).

Technology and Organization of Anasazi Trench Kilns (E. Blinman and C. Swink).

The Variability and Evolution of Prehispanic Kilns on the Peruvian Coast (I. Shimada).

Ceramic Firing in Ancient and Modern Oaxaca (G.M. Feinman and A. Balkansky

Prehispanic Kilns at Matacapan, Veracruz, Mexico by C.A. Pool).

The Fires Without and the Fires Within: Evidence for Ceramic Production Facilities at the Late Classic Site of La Sierra, Naco Valley, Northwestern Honduras, and in its Environs (P.A. Urban, E.C. Wells and M.T. Ausec).

Brick and Tile Making in Spanish California with Related Old and New World Examples (J.G. Costello).

An Integrative Review and Examination of Glass Furnace Technology in Renaissance Italy (W.P. McCray).

Unusual Old Kilns (O.J. Whittemore)

Concluding Comments (P.M. Rice).

Prudence M. Rice and W. David Kingery are the authors of Ceramics and Civilization: The Prehistory & History of Ceramic Kilns, Volume VII , published by Wiley.