The History of Bonfire Firing Structures in Pottery Production (Ethnographic Data and Its Analysis)

The article is dedicated to the comparative analysis and synthesis of ethnographic data on the bonfire firing of pottery. The information collected by ethnographers during the 19th and 20th centuries comes from various parts of the globe: Africa, North and South America, Europe, Asia and Oceania. The article discusses various methods of drying and firing vessels, the number of vessels meant for firing, types of fuel, bonfire structure, methods of post-firing treatment of pottery, etc.
It has been established that, despite the difference in natural conditions, the similarity of the structure of bonfires and firing techniques in different regions of the globe, leads to the conclusion that there are common patterns in the functioning and development of firing of clay vessels among different peoples. A hypothesis is suggested about the connection of the bonfire firing techniques with the use of cooking hearths.
The author comes to the conclusions, that, firstly, from an economic point of view the development of the traditions of open firing shows itself in the transition from the firing of one vessel to the firing of a small and then a significant number of vessels in one bonfire; secondly, that the trend of the development of bonfires structure consists in the transition from the vessels placed on the ground (very rarely) or on an individual platform (made of stone, clay or fuel) for each item to the common platform for all vessels to be fired; thirdly, that an important factor in the development of bonfires is probably the mixing of different traditions, which occurred due to the contacts of the bearers of the open firing traditions with bearers of oven-firing, on the one hand, and stove-firing traditions, and on the other hand. In conclusion, the author mentions a number of signs that make it possible to identify bonfires meant for firing vessels during the excavations of ancient settlements.

Keywords: Bonfires, Ethnography, Pottery Firing, Pottery Traditions.