Potter’s perspective

Since the lack of proper regulation currently prevents entrepreneurs from using the extracted clay, we became interested in its usefulness to local ceramists and artists. Crafts and handmade pottery are recently going through some sort of revival. Even restaurants are more open to serve their dishes on tableware with a more rustic feel to it, rather than just on plain white porcelain. Handmade ceramics obviously aren’t cheap. In Vienna, prices of 40 € per cup or 50 € per plate aren’t surprising. What could be shocking though is that an imported porcelain cup, which traveled thousands of kilometers, can cost under 1 €. What contributes most to the value of ceramic items usually isn’t the raw material cost, but mainly the cost of labor. Since clay could technically be found almost everywhere on the planet, in Minoan times in Crete it was so common it was used to make disposable cups.

Figure 3. 3,500-year-old disposable clay cup next to a modern, paper one.