Reflection of Ceramic Art to Society:Karacahisar Castle Toy Finds

Abstract

Ceramics, used in all areans of daily Life, have an important place in social life. Various types of vessels such as bowls, plates, jars, jugs and oil lamps are seen in the samples made of terracotta. The first examples of ceramics were made with the functions of cooking, storing and serving. Moreover, it is used for lighting purposes, as in oil lamps, and for acoustic, decoration, and lightening of carriers in buildings. It is also seen that they are used as trinket-like ornaments. Within the scope of our subject, Karacahisar Castle glazed animal figures toys between 1999-2015 were examined. Examples with animal figures are in the form of dog or wolf, horse, sheep, bird and ram figures that are not very detailed in outline. The finds belonging to the Ottoman Principality are dated between the 14^th century and the beginning of the 15^th century. Our subject toy finds provide important information about the socio-economic structure and culture of the region. It is also known that animal figures encountered in daily life have mythological origins. Animal figures produces for different purposes show that ceramic masters respond to the needs of all segments of society. In addition, the finds of our subject reflect the value given to the child by the society in the medieval Turkish-Islamic art. The existence of this type of ceramics is also of great importance in that it indicates that there is ceramic production in Karacahisar Castle or nearby areas.