I used to think all pottery shards were just broken junk, but a dig in New Mexico changed that

For years, when I saw a piece of old pottery, I just saw a broken thing. Then, about two summers ago, I volunteered on a dig at a Pueblo site near Santa Fe. The lead archaeologist showed us how to look at the curve of a single piece to guess the whole pot's size and shape. She even pointed out a tiny fingerprint in the clay from the person who made it, maybe 800 years ago. Now I see every fragment as a clue, not just trash. It's amazing what a single piece can tell you about daily life back then. Has anyone else had a find that totally flipped how you see a common artifact?

3 comments

3 Comments

taylor.mary3mo agoProlific Poster

Honestly, the fingerprint detail is what gets me. That's an actual person from centuries ago, just right there. It makes the whole thing feel so real.

christopher_west13mo agoMost Upvoted

Totally! Try wearing cotton gloves next time.

wesley8012mo ago

My buddy found a musket ball in his dad's old toolbox and realized it was from a revolutionary war campsite near his house.