These bricks were made of red clay fired on all sides to above 600 c and used as flooring for houses.
Ceramic used for bricks.
People first started making ceramics thousands of years ago pottery glass and brick are among the oldest human invented materials and we re still designing brand new ceramic materials today things like catalytic converters for today s cars and high temperature superconductors for tomorrow s computers.
The earliest fired bricks appeared in neolithic china around 4400 bc at chengtoushan a walled settlement of the daxi culture.
Ceramic building material often abbreviated to cbm is an umbrella term used in archaeology to cover all building materials made from baked clay it is particularly but not exclusively used in relation to roman building materials.
Kiln bricks also referred to as fire bricks or refractory bricks are made from ceramic refractory material that can withstand extremely high temperatures such as those achieved in kiln firings.
There s quite a big difference between age old general purpose.
It is a useful and necessary term because especially when initially found in archaeological excavation it may be difficult to distinguish for example.
The bricks typically line the inside of a kiln furnace fireplace etc and serve as great insulators making heat loss minimal and energy use.
Of course these brick types are not set in stone even if the bricks themselves are.