The Earliest Pottery. The term pottery may refer to any variety of vessel or plate made of clay that has been fired, or hardened by heating, typically in an oven, or kiln. Because styles of pottery change over time and between regions, it is one of the most important diagnostic tools available to archaeologists for dating sites and distinguishing cultures. For example, undecorated pottery shapes, made for everyday use, are useful for understanding what people cooked, stored, or carried between sites. The earliest known pottery was found in northwest Syria and dates to around 8000 B.C.E. These clay containers may have been accidentally fired. It was not until the seventh millennium B.C.E. that the use of pottery became widespread in the farming villages of the Near East. Over time, distinctive styles of pottery emerged in different regions. In Mesopotamia, northern forms are...