Pottery making, a craft with а rich history stretching back to 29,000 BC, has been instrumental in human civilization, serving practical and artistic functions throughout the ages. Ancient potters utilized various techniques in pottery making, such as coiling.

Another popular method of pottery making, coiling, involves hand-building ceramics using coils or clay strands. This technique enables potters to craft pots of different shapes and sizes, offering a platform for artists to showcase their ingenuity and produce strong, durable pieces. The versatility of this method also allows potters to create pots through different techniques.

The first technique in coil pot production is using simple clay coils, which the potter creates by rolling out pieces of clay using their hands to form long thin strands and then wrapping them in a spiral to form clay rings. To start the process, the potter rolls out a large piece of clay on a flat surface until they achieve a uniform thickness. The potter then uses a round object such as a plate to cut out a circular shape for the pot base, which they then position on a thin slab of wood to support it.

After that, the potter begins creating the pot's sides by attaching a clay coil to the pot base through surface blending, a technique of joining and smoothing two surfaces to make them seamless. The potter can also use the slip-and-score technique, which entails texturing the clay surface, coating it with a thin layer of liquified clay, and firmly pressing it onto a scraped surface to attach the coil to the pot base.

Afterward, the potter adds clay coils on top of each other to continue constructing the pot's sides. They can attain the desired pot's outline and width using coils of larger or smaller diameters than those below. Once the potter attains the desired shape, they add supplementary design elements like collars using a similar technique.

The second method of creating coil pots involves decorating the outer surface with intricate coil designs. Like in the first method, the potter begins by creating the base and adding several layers of coil rings. Halfway through, the potter adds clay coils that they have shaped into various forms, including swirls, balls, or any desired shapes, to create different patterns.

Using the slip-and-score technique, they attach each coil to the other with seamless integration between the internal and external surfaces of the pot and fill any gaps between adjacent coils with small clay balls to enhance the overall composition. The potter progressively builds the pattern, blending the joints between each shape.

Another method is creating pots with smooth surfaces. Like the first method, the process begins by rolling a clay slab on a flat surface and cutting out a circle for the pot's base. Then, the potter uses a special wooden tool called a paddle and a flexible rubber tool called a rubber rib to shape and smooth the clay as they add more layers to the pot.

Once the pot is the right shape and size, the potter uses another rubber tool called a finishing rubber to smooth out any bumps or lumps. Finally, the potter leaves the pot to dry and harden before refining the surface for a polished look.