Talk:Venus of Dolní Věstonice

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[edit] Category Ceramics

I added this article to Category:Ceramics because that category's description states:

Ceramics is the art form that uses ceramic materials to produce works of art; see also Category:Ceramic materials. The Venus of Dolni Vestonice is the oldest known ceramic in the world.

I recently edited that description, but I didn't add the definition or the reference to this article. Melchoir 03:44, 23 December 2005 (UTC)

With the note in the category it will hopefully be seen in proper context. Pavel Vozenilek 03:55, 23 December 2005 (UTC)

Okay, then I'll re-add the category. Melchoir 04:11, 23 December 2005 (UTC)

More information worth of addition[1]. pabouk 15:45, 7 November 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Pottery vs Ceramic

Hi. I am not sure why you revert the decription [of this figurine] as pottery. I agree the item is ceramic but this is a very large group of materials. Pottery is more specific: it is a subset of ceramics. Pottery is fired clay, with cermaics including many others such a silicon nitride, silicon carbide and alumina - hardly the type of material from which the Venus is made. unsigned, by 81.153.70.31

"Ceramic" is the preferred adjective in archaeology, as in "ceramic statuette". In fact, a "pottery statuette" does not make sense, since pottery is a noun which generally refers to vessels of some sort or another. While today "ceramic" includes all sorts of materials in addition to clay, in 50,000 BPE, clay was the only ceramic. Madman 16:53, 29 September 2007 (UTC)

I agree that the figurine should be described as Ceramic and not pottery 81.153.70.31 has now reverted the description to pottery 4 times. Teapotgeorge 20:52, 29 September 2007 (UTC)

A few points>

• "clay was the only ceramic." Clay is not a ceramic material. It never has been, even 50,000 BPE. Clay is a common raw material for ceramics, but it is onlyt after firing to high temperature that it becomes a ceramic material.
• "Pottery statuette" does make sense. Pottery is a commonly used term for a group of materials. Other example sinclude pottery
• The early description of pottery, ie fired clay, is correct. Archaeologists do not have sole rights to deciding what is pottery.
• The article should include reference that many people do consider the figurine to be pottery.