THE NATIVE VILLAGE THAT HID HERNANDO DE SOTO’S FIRST CAMP IN AMERICA

It was connected to the archaeological structure.

That relationship between object and context is what gives archaeology much of its power.

The sword pommel could not speak.

But its position in the soil could.

WHY A SINGLE SWORD PART MATTERS

It might seem strange that such a small object could change the interpretation of an entire site.

But archaeology often works exactly this way.

A large stone mound can tell researchers that people lived somewhere.