Application of heat to clay transforms it into a ceramic, and thus the history and technical features of structures supplying that heat - kilns - are of considerable importance. The 14 chapters in this volume discuss ancient and historic kilns from the viewpoint of their excavation, their operational principles, and their contributions to an understanding of ceramic production within ancient economies.

Prudence M. Rice and W. David Kingery are the authors of Ceramics and Civilization: The Prehistory & History of Ceramic Kilns, Volume VII , published by Wiley.