“The Concise Encyclopedia of Continental Pottery and Porcelain” can be a fun read if you don’t mind digging a bit (and if you have no life outside the study of historical pottery). This dated compendium of minutia concerning all things European includes some pretty odd entries. But other entries present interesting perspectives on early pottery. The following description of Lemnian Earth is one such entry:
“A medicinal clay found in the Greek islands of Lemnos and Samos, of great repute for its alleged curative properties. The clay was prepared and worked into small cakes or tablets, and impressed with a seal by the guardian priestesses of Diana, hence the name given to it; ‘Terra Sigilata,’ or ‘sealed earth.’”
People have used clays for medicinal purposes since before there were even ‘people.’ Archeologists indicate Homo Habilis probably ate calcium rich white clays. Eating clay, “geophagy” to be precise, has been practiced throughout the ages and on every continent. Geophagy claims many medicinal benefits beyond being a source of calcium. Clay absorbs toxins. It soothes spleen and kidney complaints. Some even say eating certain clays increases sexual behavior. But there are probably more efficient ways of achieving that last goal in this enlightened age.
Getting back to Lemnian Earth, Bernard Palissy offered a charming little footnote. He said it was “nothing else than a kind of marl or clayey soil, which is dug deeply… They say that the aforesaid is very astringent. And since they draw benefit from the aforesaid clay, they open their clay pits every year with great pomp accompanied by ceremonies.”
“Great pomp accompanied by ceremonies.” My own clay comes from nearby Sheffield Pottery Supply, Inc. It is dug and processed right there on site. When I get a new batch, I simply open a bag and get to work.
Yes we live in an enlightened age. I’m not sure what purpose would be served by eating Sheffield clay. But I admit a touch of nostalgia for the magic surrounding the old Lemnian clay pits.
Readings:
The Concise Encyclopedia of Continental Pottery and Porcelain. Reginald Haggar. Hawthorn Books/New York. 1960.
Clay: The History and Evolution of Humankind’s Relationship with Earth’s Most Primal Element. Suzanne Staubach. Berkley Hardcover/New York. 2005.
This Day in Pottery History 