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Originally Posted by Chemist
My first post here! I would imagine that large amounts of clay pots were fired all at once in large pits or in piles. Lots of charcoal would likely remain in and around the pottery after the firing process. Any potter will tell you that some peices will allways crack and break during the firing process. Several hundred bowls, plates, pots and pans, toys and other trinkets might be fired in a single large burn pile. All of the dried clay peices would be filled with dried grass or small pieces of wood, carefully stacked in a pit, surrounded with larger pieces of wood, covered(wet branches and soil?) to prevent overfiring, and lit on fire. Some of the peices would break and be left where the were. The first terra preta was probably a by-product of pottery making. I would suggest that the eariest areas of black earth either exist where there were clay deposits that could be mined or where there were forests that lent themselves to the firing of clay to the extent that inhabitants transported clay there to be fired. After some time it was probably noted that plants grew better where the potters fired their clay. Only after the discovery that plants grew better in these areas is it likely that people started using charcoal and pottery peices to deliberately improve the soil fertility.
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Welcome aboard.
I think you make some reasonable assertions.
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Originally Posted by Fukudairafarm
Hmm... maybe the clay pots were low-tech retorts for making charcoal with less waste.
Put a bundle of twigs/branches/manures/etc... tight together, slather it with clay (except for a small opening), when it dries, build a fire on/around it. Then shatter the pots that should have charcoal in them.
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This sounds reasonable in general, however looking at the specific pots Mick posted with their decoration, it doesn't make much sense to me for them to have their use as retorts. Practically, decorating a pot you mean to break & bury is a waste of resources, in spite of the potential argument it served a ritual purpose. Follow the money.........
