April is Montana Archaeology Month, and to celebrate, the Carter County Museum will be bringing you a series of articles about topics in the field. Pottery is a relatively rare artifact to find and is often preserved in pieces called "sherds" in archaeological parlance. The museum has a small collection of a variety of sherds that have been traced back to the Mandan/Hidatsa and Crow Tribes.

By examining pottery and other ceramics, archaeologists can discover information about the cultures from which they originate. Decorations, choice of clay and craftsmanship all provide clues about triba...