A history of Islamic pottery can be structured around three successive “waves,” or phases, of Chinese influence, each initiated by the arrival in the Near East of a new type of ceramic ware. The phases tended to follow a similar pattern. First, the Islamic potters developed a technology allowing them to make close copies of the imported ware. Then they, began to develop their own variations, usually involving the addition of color and decoration of an Islamic nature. It is not surprising that evidence for Chinese imports consists largely of copies; few sherds and even fewer complete pieces of early Chinese pottery have been found on Islamic territory. There has been little controlled archeological exploration in Persia, and less still has been published. Only from the 9th/15th century onward do Chinese originals survive in quantity.