Archaeology

Archaeology is an upcoming mechanic that allows the player to find historical artifacts. This mechanic was originally intended to be part of the Caves & Cliffs update, but it had been delayed three times until 1.20.

Discovering artifacts
By using a brush on suspicious sand at desert pyramids and desert wells, players can obtain artifacts and other loot, such as sticks, emeralds, and pottery Shards. If the player breaks or drops a block of suspicious sand, they permanently break these artifacts. Pottery shards can be used to add decoration to decorated pots.

Blocks

 * Decorated Pot (E) JE1.png
 * Can be crafted with any 4 pottery shards or brick items, shaped rhombic.
 * The type of crafting material decides which picture will appear on the certain side of the crafted decorated pot.
 * The possible pictures are decided by the type of pottery shard which is used to craft.
 * The brick item will not have a picture.
 * Very fragile, and very easy to break it:
 * Will break apart into its crafting materials when breaking it using any block-breaking tool.
 * Will drop itself when breaking it using nothing.


 * Suspicious Gravel BE1.png
 * Generates in cold ocean ruins and trail ruins.
 * Brushing the suspicious gravel with a brush will extract objects.


 * Suspicious Sand JE1 BE1.png
 * Generates in desert temples, desert wells, trail ruins, and warm ocean ruins.
 * Brushing the suspicious sand with a brush will extract objects.

Items

 * Brush JE1 BE1.png
 * An item which can be used to brush things.
 * Can be crafted with a feather, copper ingot and stick.


 * Archer Pottery Shard JE2 BE2.png Arms Up Pottery Shard JE1 BE2.png Prize Pottery Shard JE1 BE2.png Skull Pottery Shard JE1 BE2.png
 * They have pictures on them.
 * Different structures contain different pottery shards.
 * 20 variants.
 * They cannot be crafted and are only found by brushing suspicious sand.

Gameplay

 * The player can find items in suspicious sand or suspicious gravel inside of certain structures by using the brush.
 * In desert pyramids, suspicious sand can contain a pottery shard, TNT, gunpowder, an emerald, or a diamond.
 * In desert wells, suspicious sand can contain a pottery shard, a brick, an emerald, a stick, or suspicious stew.
 * In warm ocean ruins, suspicious sand can contain a pottery shard, a sniffer egg, an iron axe, an emerald, wheat, a wooden hoe, coal, or a gold nugget.
 * In cold ocean ruins, suspicious gravel can contain a pottery shard, an iron axe, an emerald, wheat, a wooden hoe, coal, or a gold nugget.
 * In trail ruins, suspicious sand or gravel can contain a pottery shard, an emerald, wheat, clay, a brick, dyes, a dyed candle, a stained glass pane, a hanging sign, a gold nugget, coal, wheat seeds, beetroot seeds, a dead bush, a flower pot, string, a lead, or an armor trim.