pottery

4 Stories

Dish Found in Drawer of Country House Sells for $1.7M

'Incredibly rare' 16th-century dish fetched more than 10 times estimate

(Newser) - One of a Scottish merchant's souvenirs from a 19th-century "Grand Tour" of Europe sold for $1.7 million—more than 10 times the original estimate—after intense bidding at an auction Wednesday. The small early-16th-century Italian dish was part of an auction of hundreds of items from Lowood...

His Toothbrush Holder Turns Out to Be 4K Years Old

Dates back to 1900 BC and the Indus Valley in what is now Afghanistan

(Newser) - Some people might use an old mug to hold toothbrushes and toothpaste. A man in England used a 4,000-year-old piece of pottery, by accident. Karl Martin picked up the pot along with another at a flea market for all of $5, reports Atlas Obscura . Martin is a valuer at...

On 8K-Year-Old Shards, Proof of Ancient 'Social Lubricant'

Scientists believe they've found proof of production of 'world's oldest' grape wine in nation of Georgia

(Newser) - Wine has been used as a "social lubricant, mind-altering substance, and highly valued commodity" throughout the ages. Now, a discovery just south of Tbilisi details just how far back through the ages the beverage has existed, the BBC reports. Per a study in the Proceedings of the National Academy ...

This Might Be World's Oldest Pottery

Discovery in China goes back 20,000 years

(Newser) - Pottery fragments found in a south China cave have been confirmed to be 20,000 years old, making them the oldest known pottery in the world, archaeologists say. The findings, which will appear in the journal Science tomorrow, add to recent efforts that have dated pottery piles in east Asia...

4 Stories