Ceramics
A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant and corrosion-resistant
materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as
clay, at a high temperature. 'Ceramic' comes from the Greek word meaning 'pottery'.
Pottery is one of the oldest human technologies. Examples include earthenware,
porcelain, and brick.
Fragments of clay pottery found recently in Hunan
Province in China have been carbon dated to 15,400 - 18,300 years old.
Modern day ceramics now include domestic, industrial and building products, as well as a
wide range of materials developed for use in advanced ceramic engineering, such as in semiconductors.