How does it feel to find old pottery in New Mexico?
Shayne: The pottery was one of my favorite artifacts because there were so many different styles and designs. It’s pretty amazing to be able to hold something in your hand that was made maybe 1,000 years ago! When you find your artifacts, do you know which tribe they were from? Shayne: That’s one of the things that the archaeologists are trying to learn. With pottery, you can tell where it came from by the design and the color. And that is one of the ways archaeologists know where things came from. If they don’t find charcoal, how do they know how old something is? Shayne: There are a lot of things they look for. We found an old wooden post in one room, and it may be possible to get a tree ring date from that. Scientists can tell how old wood is by looking at the rings in the wood. The designs on pottery indicate when it was made, and the size and shape of an arrowhead helps us know how old it is. What is the most interesting thing you’ve uncovered during a dig? Shayne: I participated
