 Pottery is the art of using ceramic material to make pottery wares one of which major types include earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. The place where such wares are made by a potter is also called a pottery plural potteries. The definition of pottery used by the American Society for Testing and Materials ASTM is all fired ceramic wares that contain clay when formed, except technical, structural, and refractory products. Pottery is one of the oldest human inventions, originating before the Neolithic period, with ceramic objects like the Gravician culture. The Nisvdolny Vastunis figurine discovered in the Czech Republic date back to 29,000 to 25,000 B.C. III and pottery vessels that were discovered in Jiangsai, China, which date back to 18,000 B.C. Early Neolithic pottery have been found in places such as Jomon Japan 10,500 B.C. IV the Russian Far East 14,000 B.C. V sub-Saharan Africa and South America. Pottery is made by forming a ceramic often clay body into objects of a required shape and heating them to high temperatures in a kiln which removes all the water from the clay, which induces reactions that lead to permanent changes including increasing their strength and hardening and setting their shape. The clay body can be decorated before or after firing, however, prior to some shaping processes, clay must be prepared. Meeting helps to ensure an even moisture content throughout the body. They're trapped within the clay body needs to be removed. This is called dehearing and can be accomplished either by a machine called a vacuum pug or manually by wedging. Wedging can also help produce an even moisture content. Once a clay body has been kneaded and deheared or wedged, it is shaped by a variety of techniques. After it has been shaped, it is dried and then fired.