This chapter introduces the reader to the world of materials. It discusses the human, social, and historical aspects by following the path through time of some typical materials, showing how they evolve with, for and thanks to man and trying to predict their future. Among the great number of materials, we have extracted some of them called “classic,” such as wood, terracotta, iron, and aluminum, which have constituted and still constitute a large number of everyday objects. In addition, lesser-known materials, sometimes “exotic,” are candidates for replacing some old materials or are grafted onto them to form an object. These recent materials do not, however, eliminate the use of traditional materials, they especially open the way to new uses in the technologies of the future and, as such, deserve our attention.