The History of Ceramic Tiles
Ceramic tiles are present in bathrooms, kitchens and on floors across America and the world. Despite their prevalence, few people know about the long and treasured history of the humble ceramic tile. From the earliest cradles of civilization to your bathroom wall, ceramic tiles have been with us for a very long time. Knowing more about ceramic tiles is a fun way to connect to the past and may cause you to look at those simple squares in a new light. Does this Spark an idea?
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Ancient World
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About 3000 BCE, Mesopotamian city-states like Ur, Uruk and Babylon began manufacturing tiles glazed with cobalt ore to produce brilliant, glossy blue tiles that were used as decorations on the walls of temples and palaces.
At the same time, and probably independently, Egyptian artists began churning out glazed tiles for the linings of temples, tombs and palaces. Turquoise inlaid tiles were used to line the inside of the "step pyramid" of Djoser in 2700 BCE.
Chinese Tiles
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Thousands of miles away to the East, China's Shang dynasty began using tiles as a roofing material; able to shed water easily, these tiles proved useful, especially near the southern Yangtze River where monsoon-like rains would pound the countryside with heavy rains.
Ceramic tiles were not only used to decorate the walls of tombs, but the techniques learned in the course of making those tiles were used in the creation of the fantastic Terracotta Army guarding the tomb of China's first true emperor, Qin Shi Huangdi.
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Islam
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As Islam expanded out of the Arabian peninsula, a new artistic aesthetic arose. Because of the Koran's proscriptions against depicting people or other living things, embellishments to mosques, palaces, schools and even houses relied on complex geometric patterns. Beginning in the seventh century BCE and extending from Morocco in the West to India in the East, ceramic tile manufacture became an incredibly valuable and important component to Muslim culture and society.
Europe
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Influenced by the Roman and Greek use of clay tiles for roofing as well as Muslim appreciation for the artistic beauty of tiles, European countries such as France, Spain and Italy made the use of tiles--especially in the warmer climates--a matter, of course, when constructing houses and other buildings. By the 16th century, Italian tile makers were in high demand in the newly affluent Spanish kingdom.
Sanitation
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In the 19th century, new ideas about the spread of disease prompted many hospitals to adopt the use of inexpensive, glazed tiles. With a non-porous and easy-to-wash surface, tiles reduced the instances of incidental infection while patients were convalescing. This trend toward sanitation extended to households in the 20th century as homeowners plastered their bathrooms and kitchens with easy-to clean tiles. Mediterranean aesthetic designs in some houses, such as bungalows in Florida and California, led to the adoption of ceramic tiles as a type of flooring.
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