That moment at the Cahokia Mounds dig site when we found a child's toy in a storage pit

We were working on a storage pit feature in Illinois, expecting just more corn kernels, when a small carved animal figure came out. It completely shifted how I view the daily lives of people there, not just their big monuments. Has anyone else had a small find change their view of a whole site?

2 comments

2 Comments

blairm354d ago

Oh man, that's so cool! I had a similar thing happen with a single worn-out leather shoe in a midden. You're right, it totally flips a switch. Suddenly you're not just looking at layers of dirt, you're picturing a real person who walked around and wore out their stuff. Those tiny finds make the whole place feel lived in, not just studied. It's the best feeling.

noahpark4d ago

Right? That feeling is everything. Found a broken clay pipe stem once, just a little piece. But you hold it and think about someone taking a break, maybe having a bad day, just leaning against a wall and smoking. It stops being an artifact and becomes a moment. Those are the finds you remember forever.