Pottery is among the most ancient arts and deals with the manufacture of earthen vessels. Pots are objects that are first shaped of wet clay, and then hardened by baking.
It is a subcategory of the ceramic art (the word ceramic is derived from the Greek word kerameikos, name of an Athens suburb) that in its strictest sense refers to clay in all its forms. 
Actually, pottery satisfies, people's various daily needs for some basic utensils, from the Prehistoric era. So using the simplest material soil and water with rudimentary treatment makes clay, and creates pots that stamped the development of civilization. Fire kept them through the centuries.

First marks of residents from ceramic discoveries are found in Crete in 7000BC while the first earthen vessels of the Neolithic period were presented around 6000BC. The history of pottery in Greece up today completes 8000 years. 
More specifically and regarding the Hellenic area, pottery initially prospered in Crete in the first Minoan years (3000-2100BC) and flourished in the middle Minoan year's (2100-1580BC).

Observing the materials, the forms and the technique of the manufacture (specifically of big jars) but also the way of baking that our ancient ancestors used, you feel that this unique art has passed through  centuries without radical changes and is continued even today in our place. 

Pottery of Thrapsano, historical data

In the translations of the Turkish files by N. Staurinidis there is a report of the village "Trapsana nami digeri Comlekci" that means "Thrapsano or other name Village of Potters". In the same translations the "Fermanion for the potters of the village Thrapsano" also exists as we have already mentioned in the page presenting the historical data of Thrapsano.

Fot the past fifty years many archaeologists, historians, and other scientists have been dealing with pottery and particularly with the ventema of Thrapsano.  
According to the existing data the existence of ventema have been documented before the year 1900. The art of pottery in the form of ventema continued to be practised till the end of 60's. 

However the technological progress that has taken place, has also changed the materials and the equipment used, and as a result ventema was brought to an end.
The potters, from the 70's and later, started to make permanent pottery workshops around the village of Thrapsano.

The "pitharia" (big jars) and the other earthen vessels are seen now adays more than decorative items rather than utensils. Thus the pitharia, came out of the storage areas and cellars, and decorate the courtyards of houses and hotels.
Nowdays, the modern means of transport have enabled the trade of the pitharia all over the world 

Fortunately this use, the decorative one was the main reason for maintaining the manufacture of pitharia and other vessels up to our days.

This, by all means, is not an accidental fact, if we take into consideration not only the primitive aesthetics but also the direct assosiation that the sight of a pithari has with the “ancient element”.

According to very important data that Mrs Betty Psaropoulou has recorded, after a long-lasting research for the ceramic workshops in Crete, and specifically for Thrapsano pottery, more than 167 "vedema" kilns in Crete were recorded in the last 100 years and up to 1995. 
During the same period the data report the existence and operation of more than 101 permanent workshops around Thrapsano village, naming at the same time their owners.

Closing this historical retrospection we can say that pottery workshops have increased in number and have continuously been modernised, in the last decades. More and more young men are deal with the art, making senior potters happy, but also us who want the tradition of pottery to stay alive, as it constitutes our historical identity. 

More pottery centres in Crete.

Apart from Thrapsano that is considered the biggest centre of pottery in our island, it would be an omission, not to report, the remainder traditional centres that also have a long-lasting presence in the art of pottery. 
These centres are Nohia in Chania prefecture, Margarites in Rethimno prefecture and Kentri in Ag. Nikolaos prefecture. 

written by george emm. ploumakis 2005 ------------------------------------------------------------
photos:
1st : ancient potter
2nd: minoan "pitharia" (big jars) at Knossos
4th: Kiln at Istrona - Mr. Davaras- Archeology magazine
5th:Old kiln of Thrapsano -Archeology mag., by Anna -Guest Papamanoli
3rd, 6th, 7th: Old pitharia from Thrapsano - George Emm. Ploumakis