A museum volunteer in Tucson asked me why I wash every sherd, and I actually had to think about it

Taylor Wright · 2026-10-09T02:10:02.723856+00:00

She said washing removes residue that could tell us about what was stored in the pot, and I had been scrubbing artifacts clean for 3 years without a second thought. Now I only rinse when the dirt is hiding decoration, and we pulled grain residue off a Hohokam bowl last week that tested positive for amaranth. Anyone else change their field methods after one casual chat?

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A museum volunteer in Tucson asked me why I wash every sherd, and I actually had to think about it | Archaeology Discoveries - nhfree.com