max388•2mo ago

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

We found a whole cooking pot smashed into pieces, and putting it back together showed exactly how they made their food (like, you could see the burn marks from the fire). Anyone else had a find that totally flipped how you see a common artifact?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_blake2mo ago

You say it changed your view, but it's still just broken junk. The burn marks don't tell you anything you couldn't guess.

willow_anderson852mo ago

Actually had a similar thing with an old radio I found. Looked like trash, just a burnt shell. But seeing exactly where the wires melted, not just that it burned, showed a short in a specific spot the design was known for. Guessing gets you "it broke", looking close can tell you how it broke, which is way different.

riley5826d ago

Heard a story from a buddy who found an old horseshoe in a barn. He figured it was just a rusty piece of junk, but then he looked closer and saw how the nail holes were worn down on one side. That told him the horse had a bad gait and was favoring that foot for years. Changed his whole idea of what a discarded shoe can really say. Like the pot with the burn marks, it's not just trash when you stop to read the signs.