There is a significant body of ancient wisdom about pots. The ladle of a wine cask - or, say, a punch bowl - should never be laid across the vessel while people are still drinking. Or, "Never take up, without an offering, a piece of pottery , and eat or wash from it." Elastic bands with red tags hang around the necks of the containers, marking its exact location when unearthed. The bodies have no tags, either around the neck or the toes. The curators leave them out on the shelves in rather open conditions, not like mummies or cadavers, but letting them soak up the sun, allowing neophytes and tourists to touch them, quickly. If it rains, they might throw a loose tarp down. No one worries that they will rot, or wash away.


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