Olubunmi Odejimi
Archeologists made a unique discovery about clay, stating that Africans created clay pots 11,000 years ago in the bid to store food and we find this intriguing!
Africa is well known for its rich, and historical arts and culture that have been passed down from one generation to another. Some of these arts have become outdated and are only a thing of entertainment for tourists at the museum while some of them have been modernized and are still in use.
Pottery is one of the many arts that has stood the test of time. When climatic changes began to affect the survival of humans about 11,000 years ago, and the harvesting of farm produce became more tedious due to the weather conditions, Africans decided to invent ways to secure their lives.
In the bid to preserve food, Africans ventured into pottery and ceramic making. The pots made out of this were used to preserve their cooked meals to make the leftover edible.
According to Swiss archaeologist, Eric Huysecom, from Geneva University, who led an international team to make this discovery, pottery made in Africa had the same shape, size, and time of creation. He mentioned that the climate condition had forced the early men to make lifestyle changes.
The site where the discovery was made is called Ounjougou, and according to the Swiss archaeologist, it was selected because of its richness of archaeological antiques buried at the site.
The international team which is made up of 50-strong interdisciplinary team, and 28 researchers, have mentioned their interest in tracing the regions where the African inventors lived and also determining how long the pottery has existed.
Although technology has been used to determine the period of existence of the pieces of pottery found, which was about 11,400 years ago, the Swiss archeologists said that it could be longer than that.
This sensational discovery by the Swiss-led international team could be the beginning of many more historical findings that leads to the invention of pottery by Africans.
