They go in a “find” bucket or a plastic bag — those things the archeologists want to and often find. They are called by the genetic word find. They could be shards of pottery, remnants of shells, prices of metal or pieces of charcoal. Their presence tells us a lot about life back then.

Some finds, like pottery shards, are placed directly in the bucket. Others are presorted into plastic bags.

Every bucket is catalogued with a reference system that can tell future researches the exact location the item was found.

Sophisticated surveying equipment, including precision laser sensors, can precisely locate a particular find or carefully map out a specific area (loci), to help archeologist recreate a 3-D virtual representation of the site. Sometimes where an item is found is just as important as what was found. 

Finding something, as exciting as it is, is only the first step in a long, involved process to determine a find’s significance and value.  

Many finds today. Many more to come!