Pot and Couscous maker from Lakhdaria
Pottery is among the oldest human activities. It dates back to the Neolithic, a period during which man discovered agriculture and sedentary lifestyle, it was then that his way of life, his behavior and his relationships with nature began to evolve.
Previously, in prehistory, man lived by hunting and gathering fruits and it was in the Neolithic period after the mastery of agriculture, that man discovered pottery for the purposes of preparing and preserving his food.
This activity, which has continued for millennia and whose objects are made with great art, has become mainly the prerogative of women.
Indeed, it is the woman who, with her hands, models and shapes the clay using only rudimentary tools intended for filing and polishing. The objects are then decorated after being fired in simple ovens prepared for this purpose.
If the pottery manufacturing techniques passed down from generation to generation remain simple, those concerning shapes and aesthetics have evolved considerably.
In Algeria, as everywhere else, pottery constitutes an essential component of craftsmanship. In addition to its utilitarian function, it is a witness par excellence to history.
Previously, in prehistory, man lived by hunting and gathering fruits and it was in the Neolithic period after the mastery of agriculture, that man discovered pottery for the purposes of preparing and preserving his food.
This activity, which has continued for millennia and whose objects are made with great art, has become mainly the prerogative of women.
Indeed, it is the woman who, with her hands, models and shapes the clay using only rudimentary tools intended for filing and polishing. The objects are then decorated after being fired in simple ovens prepared for this purpose.
If the pottery manufacturing techniques passed down from generation to generation remain simple, those concerning shapes and aesthetics have evolved considerably.
In Algeria, as everywhere else, pottery constitutes an essential component of craftsmanship. In addition to its utilitarian function, it is a witness par excellence to history.