The chemical composition of modern pottery on Crete is identical to that of ancient, Early to Late Minoan ware, while its structure is highly similar. The predominance of gehlenite as a silicate neoplasm, produced during firing, can partly be explained by the freshness of the sherds and partly by lower firing temperatures or shorter firing times. Even the structure shows that contemporary production is not so careful as in ancient times. The same applies to painting. The clays used are badly sorted, secondary sediments from the foothills. The results support the supposition that on Crete many thousands of years of pottery tradition have been preserved, permitting the study of ancient techniques even today. Their documentation is all the more important as the craft is dying out. See also AATA 20-769. -- AATA