What is Clay

1
What is Clay?
A Presentation Created By Mrs. OLoughlin
2
What is Clay?

• Clay is very fine particles of dirt which float
  in a stream or river and then sink to the bottom,
  where they press on each other and stick
  together. You generally find clay along the banks
  of a river or stream.

These cliffs in Martha's Vineyard are made almost
entirely of clay.
3
What is Clay?

• Clay is squishy when it is wet, so you can make
  it any shape you like, and then it dries hard.

4
What is a Kiln?

• When the clay is dry you put it in a fire, or in
  an oven (a clay oven is called a kiln) and bake
  it for a while, the clay gets even harder and it
  will not get soft again. This is called firing.

5
Clay and Ancient Times

• People first began firing fire clay about 6000
  BC.
• People in the ancient world used clay to build
  houses by making bricks and drying them in the
  sun. They mixed straw with the clay to help it
  stick together better. This is called mud-brick,
  or adobe (ah-DOUGH-bee), or pise (pea-SAY). They
  fired the bricks, to make them harder and more
  waterproof.

6
Clay and Ancient Times

• This is the worlds largest adobe structure made
  out of mud bricks.

The citadel of Arg-é Bam The world's largest
adobe structure, dating to at least 500 BC.
Located in southeastern Iran.
7
More Things Made From Clay

• People also used fired clay for their dishes,
  plates and cups.

8
More Things Made From Clay

• They used clay for statues too. The Etruscans in
  particular are known for their clay statues.

9
More Things Made From Clay

• Ancient Greece

10
More Things Made From Clay

• Ancient China

11
More Things Made From Clay

• Modern

12
More Things Made From Clay

• Modern