Sara Stipcevic
University of Tasmania
Simply, clay is earth and water. More scientifically, clay is a finely-grained natural rock or soil material that combines clay minerals (typically kaolinite or smectite) with maybe traces of quartz, metal oxides, organic matter and water.
Clay is soft and plastic and can be manipulated into shapes and forms.
As it dries it becomes firm and when fired in a kiln - to temperatures 1100-1300 Celsius depending on the clay - permanent physical and chemical changes occur,
the clay material is converted to a ceramic material. It becomes hard, strong and non-porous.
At the moment human use of clay can be dated to 1400BC.