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During pre-pottery neolithic. Humans had to use hard stone like granite, to make containers, bowls, plates, pots, cups and there dishes.
It was in the early neolithic. When people would have begun experimenting with clay, and trying to temper it.

Pottery was often formed using coiling or pinching methods. But it was the invention of the pottery wheel changed that
An ancient tool that revolutionized the way pottery is made. And, we still see today.

Evidence has suggested it may have originated in different cultures around the same time
One thing is for sure. Before the invention of the wheel. It must have been very tough.

The pottery wheel consists of a rotating platform. It allowed neolithic potters to shape clay more efficiently and uniformly
The introduction marked a significant advancement in pottery production. Enabling potters to create more symmetrical and intricate vessels. Some of which you still see today.

Called tourneys or slow wheel. May have been the oldest form of pottery wheel (1)
In 4500 BC, the near east. These machines were already in use. They were turned slowly by had, or by foot. While coiling the pot. Because of this, it was probably only used by a select number of potters. Or, those skilled enough wanting to learn and commit. A small range of vessels were found fashioned this way. Its introduction increased the efficiency.

By around 3500 BC, in Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq). The wheel and craft became widespread
Although, evidence suggests it may have originated in other cultures around the same time.

In the mid to late 3rd millennium BC the fast wheel was developed
It operated on the flywheel principle. Utilizing energy and inertia. That was stored in the rotating mass of the stone wheel. It was wound up by kicking it with your foot, or pushing it around with a stick. Providing more angular momentum.

Because of it, a new process was developed. Called throwing
A lump of clay was placed centrally on the wheel. It was then squeezed, and lifted to shape pottery or figurines, as the wheel turned. It allowed potters to create rings on the inside of the pot. That could then be used to create stronger thinner-walled pieces. Including a wide variety of shapes like stemmed or multiple diameter vessels. It was a first step towards industrialization. And, potters could now produce many more pots per hour.

Scholars suggest that the first potter’s wheel was first developed by the ancient Sumerians in Mesopotamia (2)
A stone potter’s wheel found at the Sumerian city of Ur, in modern-day Iraq has been dated to about 3129 BC. However, there are earlier fragments recorded from places nearby.

Southeastern Europe (3) and, China (4) have also been claimed as possible places of origin
A general wheel or spinning device would have become popular by potters around 3500 BC.

Others consider Egypt may have been the place the pottery wheel was invented (5)
About 3000 BC, it was in Egypt, where the turntable shaft was modified and lengthened. It allowed the flywheel to be kicked, and later moved by pulling the edge with the left hand. While forming the clay with the right. Giving more momentum.

Lapsing the neolithic period, and time. The use of the pottery wheel spread to various newer ancient civilizations. Such as the Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans
It contributing to the development of their unique pottery traditions. Incorporating various techniques and designs into their own ceramic artistry.

Though The exact origin of the wheel is not wholly clear yet. It is a interesting topic of research and debate. The invention played a crucial role in the history of ceramics and continues to be a fundamental tool in pottery-making today.

Citation: 1) Roux, Valentine; Miroschedji, Pierre (2009). “Revisiting the History of the Potter’s Wheel in the Southern Levant”. Levant. 41 (2): 155–173. doi:10.1179/007589109X12484491671095. S2CID 162097444.

2) Kramer, Samuel Noah (1963). The Sumerians: Their History, Culture, and Character. Chicago, Illinois: University of Chicago Press. p. 290. ISBN 0-226-45238-7.

3) Cucoș, Ștefan (1999). “Faza Cucuteni B în zona subcarpatică a Moldovei” [Cucuteni B period in the lower Carpathian region of Moldova]. Bibliotheca Memoriae Antiquitatis (BMA) (Memorial Library Antiquities) (in Romanian). 6. Piatra Neamț, Romania: Muzeul de Istorie Piatra Neamț (Historical Museum Piatra Neamț). OCLC 223302267.

4) “萧山日报-数字报纸”. Archived from the original on 2011-07-07.

5) Hamer, Frank; Hamer, Janet (2004). The Potter’s Dictionary of Materials and Techniques. p. 383.

Bibliography: Roux, Valentine; Miroschedji, Pierre (2009). “Revisiting the History of the Potter’s Wheel in the Southern Levant”. Levant. 41 (2): 155\’96173. doi:10.1179/007589109X12484491671095. S2CID 162097444.

A B Moorey, Peter Roger Stuart (1999) [1994]. Ancient Mesopotamian Materials and Industries: The Archaeological Evidence. Winona Lake, Indiana: Eisenbrauns. p. 146. ISBN 9781575060422

“A Potted History of Chinese Ceramics”. http://www.thechinaguide.com