From Pottery to Wall Plaster

Melissa Benbow writes:

“Is this pottery?”

“Nope. Sorry. Just a rock.”

“Ooooh, I think I found bone!”

“Hmmm… I’m pretty sure that’s just plastic.”

“Wow! What’s this?!”

“Uh… part of your shoelace, I believe.”

Day 3 of digging in D West West and we don’t have much in the way of

artifacts except for some pottery sherds, teeny bone fragments and

bits of shell. Exciting stuff, sure, but what we really have our

hearts set on finding is wall plaster. It should be where we are

digging, if the palace walls collapsed where we think they did. It’s

been a few exhausting days of pickaxing in the hot sun, but now we

have shades up and it’s a surprisingly cool day, making our work a bit

easier. Still, it sometimes takes the first significant find to

really motivate me, and I imagine many others.

Finally, I come across something that looks unfamiliar. My gut tells

me to ask our area supervisor Nurith about it rather than just throw

it in the pottery bucket. I think that it just may be a piece of the

sought-after wall plaster. I approach her and ask, “Is this pottery?

Or,” (more quietly and with hope), “…perhaps wall plaster?”

She only has to glance at it before answering. “Yes! We have wall plaster!”

Success! A small celebration follows, consisting mostly of people

taking elevations and photographs.

Finding the first bit of wall plaster in our area made my day, but of

course it’s quickly back to work because there is much more just

waiting for us to uncover!

"Is this pottery?"
"Nope.  Sorry.  Just a rock."

"Ooooh, I think I found bone!"
"Hmmm...  I'm pretty sure that's just plastic."

"Wow!  What's this?!"
"Uh...  part of your shoelace, I believe."

Day 3 of digging in D West West and we don't have much in the way of
artifacts except for some pottery sherds, teeny bone fragments and
bits of shell.  Exciting stuff, sure, but what we really have our
hearts set on finding is wall plaster.  It should be where we are
digging, if the palace walls collapsed where we think they did.  It's
been a few exhausting days of pickaxing in the hot sun, but now we
have shades up and it's a surprisingly cool day, making our work a bit
easier.  Still, it sometimes takes the first significant find to
really motivate me, and I imagine many others.

Finally, I come across something that looks unfamiliar.  My gut tells
me to ask our area supervisor Nurith about it rather than just throw
it in the pottery bucket.  I think that it just may be a piece of the
sought-after wall plaster.  I approach her and ask, "Is this pottery?
Or," (more quietly and with hope), "...perhaps wall plaster?"

She only has to glance at it before answering.  "Yes!  We have wall plaster!"

Success!  A small celebration follows, consisting mostly of people
taking elevations and photographs.

Finding the first bit of wall plaster in our area made my day, but of
course it's quickly back to work because there is much more just
waiting for us to uncover!