Chat with a grad student changed how I see pottery shards

I was sorting some field finds from a dig near Santa Fe. A student from UNM looked at a plain brown shard I was about to toss. She said it had mica temper from a specific quarry 30 miles away. Made me realize I overlook the small stuff way too often. Anyone else have a convo that reframed their whole approach?

3 comments

3 Comments

price.tyler1mo ago

Tossed a piece of kiln furniture once (big mistake) that dated an entire site.

blairwhite1mo ago

Tossing stuff is part of the process, sometimes you gotta let go to move forward.

the_kim1mo ago

That mica story hit home because I once tossed a shard that turned out to be a rare trade piece from 200 miles away, and I still kick myself for it.