Making the invisible visible: The hidden jewels of archaeology

Except in rare circumstances of exceptional preservation, for many years perishable materials have not been the focus of regular archaeological study. However, when people began looking more concertedly for fragile plants or fabric evidence, they were found in many instances. This result is due not only to more detailed searching, sampling, and processing but also to the application of new analytical methods. New perspectives and questions being asked of the past add further exciting dimensions in the search for the invisible. With new research directives and standpoints, such as thinking about ritual feasting and cuisine in addition to subsistence economies or about the symbolic meanings of cloth, as well as its trade, we are privileging and even requiring these undervalued artifacts to enter our inquiries. Expressly placing such items in the center of the archaeological project and sampling for them makes the past a richer place. Culture is a complex tapestry of people, things, and values. Archaeologists should endeavor to pursue those more complex pasts, not only with more subtle ideas and models but also with more difficult to handle material.