The Current situation of traditional pottery in the aegean region

ABSTRACT In our daily life, there are some kind (species) of products which are designed to make it easier. Today; in the light of this aim, the product called pottery is produced. The needs in our daily lifes has been changed as a result of the technological developments. How does these developments effect pottery ? Can we prove the changes by the fixing studies done in the light of the datas taken from research studies ? Do we have to prove the changes or is it just enough to fix the case ? I wanted to answer these questions in my hatching area; Aegean Region, which has 8 cities comprising counties, municipalities and villages, and it is determined that 23 of the 26 pottery production centre uses traditional techniques and the rest is not included to the study because of the changes in their techniques. The hatching area is stated according to the datas taken form the preceding studies. Çine, Akçaova and Karacasu in Aydm; Sandikh-Karadirek in Afyon; Acıpayam Kızılhisar and Çivril in Denizli; Menemen and Salihli-Gökeyüp in İzmir; Simav in Kütahya; Turgutlu-Urganlı in Manisa; Bodrum in Muğla; Sivaslı in Uşak are taken up as the pottery centers in the light of the study; "Anadolu'da Yaşamakta Olan ilkel Çömlekçilik" done by Güngör Güner in 1982. Addition to these centers; Bolvadin in Afyon; Kardeşköy, Sultanhisar-Atça Village in Aydın; Çivril-İğdir village and Sarayköy in Denizli; Öderniş-Türkönü village in İzmir; Yeni Gediz and Central municipality in Kütahya; Alaşehir and Turgutlu-Irlamaz street in Manisa; Esenköy (Don't) in Fethiye, Milas-Bodrum in Muğla; Kandak and Köşk villages in Selimiye; Kızılkaya village in Ula, are the traditional pottery centers added to my study in the light of my research. This master thesis study called " Ege Bölgesinde Geleneksel Çömlekçiliğin Bugünkü Durumu" is formated by 3 main parts. In the first part; geographical properties of the Aegean Region, origin of the names of the districts that are evaluated, distance between the city centers and the districts, population, means of Vlisubsistence and the number of the craftsman dealing with the pottery and the information about their continuity to their crafts are stated. In the second part; production stages of the traditional pottery in Aegean Region and the properties of the forms produced are tried to be emphasized. Production stages are classified as; preparing mud, shaping and baking and by the help of this classification; mud, shaping, baking and fuel properties of the region are stated by tables and public expositions. Addition to these; I used visual materials such as; maps, photos and drawings to make my study richer. In the last part; as an application study, two topic is chosen. The first one is to presentate the forms that are able to sign the visual differences between the districts dealt up in the study, and the second application is the determination of the districts. Application is going to be presentate by the colouring done with some techniques on a kind of mud called şamot. In the evaluation part of the study; the number of the workers in the production zone, the production^ aim, conditions and the reasons for the continuity and the teaching capacities inside the families and the production samples are dealt up. At the resolution part; it is stated that; plastic and kind of products which came out as a result of technological development let the easy and cheap products change the marketing domains and take place of the traditional pottery. It has to be questioned who has the fault ?; "the one who buy these products or the one who produce them", in the balance of the supply and demand. Universities have the main responsibility at the point of not letting these products to be produced and solving the problem as the scientific research centers. Researcher craftsmen has to be supported, students has to come face to face with the craftsmen and has to be thought "the craftsmen concept". VIII