An enquiry into the significance of the ceramic vessel has led to an investigation of its historical and contemporary social purposes. Daily use of this object to hold substances essential to life connects it materially to the land and to the human body. This connectivity has created tradition and led to ritual expression in many parts of the world. The research analyses the manner in which individuals and societies have imbued these vessels with memory: aiding memory, obscuring it, telling stories, connecting people, embellishing tales and creating myths.