Pottery in Southeast Asia

Introduction

The term "Southeast Asia" is a twentieth-century invented phrase that is used to identify a geographical area situated east of India and south of China. It consists of a mainland region corresponding to the present-day countries of Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam, and an insular region conssisting of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Singapore. In ancient times, the area was called "Nanyang" or Nan-hai" (meaning South Seas) by the Chinese. On early maps drawn by European cartographers in the sixteenth century any geographical area east of India was named generically. Southeast Asia was identified in broad terms, such as "Further India", "East India", "India outside the Ganges", or "the Orient Beyond India" A miniature map of the 1599 by Giovanni Boteor (1540-1617) shows Southeast Asia in remarkably good proportions, particularly the coastline of the mainland region. The percept that pottery origins in Southeast Asia were long standing emerged in the mid- 1960s with the discovery of unglazed earthenware on the northern Khorat Plateau in north-eastern Thailand, which revealed an extensive pre-historic civilization previously unknown. The finds, collectively called the Ban Chiang cultural tradition after a village in the region, have produced quantities of earthenware pots that were used for cooking, storage, and funeral rites. Sites that have yielded Ban chiang pottery encompass a large area extending well beyond the village of Ban Chiang, and confirm that the technology for making pottery was known in the pre-historic period.

What are the main characteristics of pottery in Southeast Asia? Is there a distinctly Southeast Asian pottery?

There are two main distinctions that can be found in Southeast Asian pottery. The first is that contemporary ceramics in the region are linked to antique ceramics through the reproduction of antique shapes, glazes, and designs. Today, the industry of pottery in the region is thriving and growing because it is inspired by ancient wares.
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Terminology:

In this report, the terms "pottery" and "ceramics" are used interchangeably and apply to all fired clay objects, unglazed or glazed, and included earthenware, stoneware, and porcelain. Classification of pottery types is based on body material, not on the glaze, and the primary difference is the temperature at which the wares are fired. Mention of color and texture of the clay body refers to the visible unglazed areas after firing.
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