the.com/clay
the original 3D printer, except it took civilization a few thousand years to load.
means A fine-grained natural earth material that becomes soft and moldable when wet and hardens when fired or dried, used for pottery, bricks, and sculpture.
from From Old English 'clæg,' meaning sticky earth, with relatives across the Germanic family — Dutch 'klei' and German 'Klei' are cousins. The deeper root is thought to mean 'to stick or cling together,' which is exactly what clay does to your fingers, and possibly links it to a family of words about gluey, gummy things.
- holds water
- Particles so fine they trap moisture for weeks
- first writing
- Sumerians scratched debts into wet tablets
- fired forever
- Baked pottery survives 25,000 years intact
- body count
- Clay minerals helped early life self-assemble
- named us
- Adam means earth in ancient Hebrew
bentonite clay — absorbent clay used in cat litter, drilling mud, and industrial applications worldwide
kaolin clay — white porcelain clay mined in cornwall, england and georgia, usa for ceramics and paper coating
terracotta clay — fired clay used for pottery and architectural elements in mediterranean and central american cultures