Gray pottery primarily refers to earthenware made from “easily fusible clay” (i.e., pottery clay) as raw material. This includes fine gray pottery made purely from clay and sand-tempered gray pottery made by mixing a certain proportion of sand or crushed shells into the clay before firing. Among these, fine gray pottery and sand-tempered gray pottery are the most numerous, along with some fine red pottery, fine black pottery, sand-tempered brown pottery, and sandy red pottery. Fine pottery has a delicate texture, while sandy pottery contains grains of sand in varying sizes, resulting in a harder and more refractory body. Therefore, sand-tempered pottery was mostly used for cooking vessels, some drinking vessels, and large, thick-walled containers, whereas fine pottery was more commonly used for drinking vessels, tableware, storage containers, and other everyday items.
The methods of making pottery included wheel-throwing, mold-assisted techniques, and hand-building. For instance, jars, urns, basins, and bowls were mostly wheel-thrown. Vessels like gui (ritual food containers) and dou (stemmed serving dishes) had their bodies and ring feet made separately on the wheel and then joined together. In the case of tripods (li), steamers (yan), and ewers (gui), they were likely first molded and then refined on the wheel. As for tripod legs, spouts, and handles, they were usually hand-shaped and attached after the main body was wheel-thrown. Larger pottery items or coarse sandy thick-walled jars were made using coiled clay strips, which were then refined on the wheel.
However, in different historical periods, the types, forms, surface decorations, and firing temperatures of pottery varied, reflecting the technological advancements of pottery-making crafts and the living conditions of the people during those times. The surface decorations on pottery also mirror the cultural and artistic development of different eras. During the slave society phase, pottery remained one of the most closely related tools to daily life and served as an important indicator of the characteristics of different historical periods.
