The museum volunteer at the Denver digs table told me to stop washing pottery sherds in the bucket

Mason Murphy · 2026-10-19T06:55:03.640654+00:00

I was helping sort finds at a public archaeology day in Denver last month and started dunking sherds in a water bucket like everyone else. A volunteer with about 30 years in stopped me and said the water soaks into the fired clay and can wash away residue that researchers test for food and glue. He showed me how they dry brush instead with a soft toothbrush over a tray, and the label on the bag notes what side was up when it came out. I had no idea the cleaning step could wipe out data before anyone even looks at it, so now I want to know if this is standard at other digs or just how his group does it.

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The museum volunteer at the Denver digs table told me to stop washing pottery sherds in the bucket | Archaeology Discoveries - SMM Buzz