Cooking in prehistory

One of the main reasons people use ceramic vessels is the preparation of foodstuffs: cooking, baking, stewing, that sort of thing. The undisputed advantages of cooked foods include a significantly better hygiene, a longer shelf life, an increased absorption of vitamins and other nutrients, and - last but not least - the opportunity to prepare culinary masterpieces. Unfortunately, placing a ceramic vessel above a heat source is one of the worst things you can possibly do to it. Because temperatures in the base rise more strongly than in the vessel wall, the pot will crack and break. The food gets spilt and you can throw the vessel away. Worldwide, potters have invented special tricks to create useful, long-lasting 'cooking wares'. How did people cook at Tell Sabi Abyad 8000 years ago? Read further: cooking pots at prehistoric Tell Sabi Abyad