Archaeologist: even a tiny pottery shard can reveal much about our ancestors
University of Latvia archaeologist Vanda Haferberga explains that ancient pottery shards act like a mirror showing our ancestors — how they lived, what they ate, and even how far they traveled for clay.
A researcher at the Department of History and Archaeology, Faculty of Humanities, University of Latvia, Vanda Haferberga, says that shards of ancient pottery can provide a surprising amount of information about people who lived centuries or even millennia ago.
Pottery as evidence of daily life
According to the archaeologist, pottery fragments function as a kind of mirror in which our ancestors can be seen — revealing how they lived and what they ate. Even a small fragment of a vessel can serve as a source of information that would otherwise be unavailable.
How far ancestors traveled for clay
One aspect that can be determined by studying ancient pottery is how far people traveled to obtain the raw material — the clay used to make their vessels. This allows researchers to understand not only everyday habits but also patterns of movement and resource gathering among ancient communities.
Haferberga notes that even the smallest ceramic fragment can serve as a valuable source for a broader understanding of past societies — their daily life, diet, and relationship with their surrounding environment.
