faience

Refers to ancient objects made from a composite material consisting of a body of sintered quartz coupled with an alkaline glaze surface. Faience was used for decorating beads, amulets, figurines, and other small objects. Invented in Mesopotamia or Iran ca. 4500 BCE, the production of faience continued until the mid-7th century CE. It has no relation to the term used to describe European earthenware.