Visiting the Roman fort site near Hadrian's Wall made me see pottery differently

I was at Vindolanda last month, just walking the paths. I saw a small, broken piece of red clay on the ground near the dig area. A guide pointed out it was Samian ware, a common find, and explained how its shape and stamps tell them about trade routes and dates. I always thought finding a pot was the cool part, but now I get that even a tiny, plain shard can hold a huge story. Has anyone else had a simple find shift how they look at a whole type of artifact?

2 comments

2 Comments

jessefoster14d ago

But what about the stuff that's just... broken? I feel like we get too caught up in the story and forget it's still just a piece of someone's old plate.

avery_roberts6714d ago

Exactly! Sometimes it's just a broken plate and we're out here writing a whole novel about it. The story can be fun but we gotta keep it real.