Showerthought: My dad's old story about a broken plate made me see pottery shards differently

He described finding a piece of his grandma's china in their garden and said 'it's not trash, it's a clue someone lived here.' That hit different after my first dig last month where we catalogued hundreds of fragments. How do you explain the value of broken things to people who don't get archaeology?

2 comments

2 Comments

phoenixp308d ago

Oh wow, that's such a perfect way to put it! I had the same feeling sorting through old glass bits at a local site. People see a pile of broken stuff, but you're right, it's a whole story just sitting there. It's like each piece is a tiny note left behind. Your dad gets it!

nina_harris8d ago

Exactly, it's not just trash. Finding a piece with a color or a pattern makes you wonder who held it last. Makes the whole place feel less empty.