Aceramic

Aceramic is a term used in archaeology which means "without pottery". It is sometimes used to refer to a specific early Neolithic period before a culture develops ceramics, such as the Middle Eastern Pre-Pottery Neolithic A, in which case it is a synonym of preceramic (or pre-pottery). "Aceramic" is also used to describe a culture at any time prior to its development of pottery, and cultures which lacks pottery altogether.

A Preceramic period is traditionally regarded as occurring in the early stage of the Neolithic period of a culture, however recent findings in Japan and China have pushed the origin of ceramic technology there well back into the Paleolithic era.

See also