an ergonomic standpoint, sweeping the foot from side to side against the spinning hub is rather awkward. At some point, an alternative solution was invented that involved a crankshaft with a lever that converted up-and-down motion into rotary motion. The use of the motor-driven wheel has become common in modern times, particularly with craft potters and educational institutions, although human-powered ones are still in use and are preferred by some studio potters. Techniques of throwing A skilled potter can quickly throw a vessel from up to of clay. Alternatively, by throwing and adding coils of clay then throwing again, pots up to four feet high may be made, the heat of a blowlamp being used to firm each thrown section before adding the next coil. In Chinese manufacturing, very large pots are made by two throwers working simultaneously. The potter's wheel in myth and legend In Ancient Egyptian mythology, the deity Khnum was said to have formed the first humans on a potter's wheel. References External links Pottery (video on Internet Archive) Earliest Depiction of a Kick-Wheel in Egypt Isaac Button, Soil Hill Pottery near Halifax, England; Lakeside Pottery The last Iranian woman potter using the ancient technique. Location: Pirtaj village in Chang-almas region in western Iran; Lakeside Pottery Modern electric pottery wheels in Russia Pottery Guides and it's Geological origins Pottery