Archaeology

There is a related tutorial page for this topic!

Archaeology is a gameplay mechanic that allows the player to find items that represent historical artifacts inside suspicious sand and suspicious gravel.

Guide

Players can use a brush on suspicious sand (located in warm ocean ruins, desert pyramids, and desert wells) or suspicious gravel (located in cold ocean ruins and trail ruins). Players can discover and obtain artifacts and other loot, such as sticks, emeralds, and pottery sherds, which can be used to craft decorated pots. If a suspicious block falls or is broken, the loot inside is lost.

Features

Blocks

Decorated Pot

Can be crafted with any 4 pottery sherds or brick items, placed in a rhombus shape.
- The specific type of crafting material used determines which side of the resulting decorated pot shows a symbol.
  - The possible symbols are determined by the type of pottery sherd used to craft the pot.
  - Sides of the pot corresponding to bricks when crafted use a plain texture with no symbol.
Fragile and easy to break:
- If broken with any block-breaking tool, drops as its component materials.
- If broken without a tool, or using a tool with the Silk Touch enchantment, drops as itself.
- Can be broken with projectiles.
Has a single storage slot that allows players to store up to one stack of a block or item.

Sniffer Egg

Only found from suspicious sand in warm ocean ruins.
Hatches into snifflets.
Once two eggs are found, can be continuously obtained by breeding sniffers with torchflower seeds.

Suspicious Gravel

Generates in cold ocean ruins and trail ruins.
Brushing the suspicious gravel with a brush extracts items.
Suspicious Gravel drops as an item in Survival Mode if it stays in its Falling Block entity state for more than 30 seconds. This can be achieved by dropping the Suspicious Gravel into a two-block deep soul sand bubble column or onto two layers of cobwebs. Both actions slow down the falling Suspicious Gravel enough for its 30-second timer to expire, allowing it to drop in item form.‌

Suspicious Sand

Generates in desert pyramids, desert wells, and warm ocean ruins.
Brushing the suspicious sand with a brush extracts items.
Suspicious Sand drops as an item in Survival Mode if it stays in its Falling Block entity state for more than 30 seconds. This can be achieved by dropping the Suspicious Sand into a two-block deep soul sand bubble column or onto two layers of cobwebs. Both actions slow down the falling Suspicious Sand enough for its 30-second timer to expire, allowing it to drop in item form.‌

Items

Brush

Tools which can be used to brush suspicious blocks.
Can be crafted with a feather, copper ingot, and stick.

Pottery Sherds

Items with symbolic pictures on them.
Different structures contain different pottery sherds.
Have 23 different variants.
3 of them are not found in archaeology and are found in trial chambers.
They cannot be crafted and are only found by brushing suspicious sand and suspicious gravel.

Relic Music Disc

World generation

Trail Ruins

A buried generated structure from a lost culture.
Generates in taigas, snowy taigas, old growth taigas (both types), old growth birch forests, and jungles.
Comprised of a tower, a path across the bottom, and a few additional rooms attached to the side.
Contains gravel and suspicious gravel, as well as mud bricks and several colors of terracotta and glazed terracotta.
Four armor trims and seven pottery sherds can be found here.

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 sherd, TNT, gunpowder, emerald, or a diamond.
- In desert wells, suspicious sand can contain a pottery sherd, a brick, an emerald, a stick, or suspicious stew.
- In warm ocean ruins, suspicious sand can contain a pottery sherd, 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 sherd, an iron axe, an emerald, wheat, a wooden hoe, coal, or a gold nugget.
- In trail ruins, suspicious gravel can contain a pottery sherd, 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, a "Relic" music disc, or an armor trim.

Loot tables

Desert temples

In Java Edition and Bedrock Edition, each desert temple's suspicious sand contains 1 item stack, with the following distribution:

Item	Stack Size ^[A]	Weight ^[B]	Chance ^[C]	Avg. per block ^[D]	Avg. # blocks to brush ^[E]
Archer Pottery Sherd	1	¹⁄₈	12.5%	0.125	8.0
Emerald	1	¹⁄₈	12.5%	0.125	8.0
Gunpowder	1	¹⁄₈	12.5%	0.125	8.0
Miner Pottery Sherd	1	¹⁄₈	12.5%	0.125	8.0
Prize Pottery Sherd	1	¹⁄₈	12.5%	0.125	8.0
Skull Pottery Sherd	1	¹⁄₈	12.5%	0.125	8.0
TNT	1	¹⁄₈	12.5%	0.125	8.0
Diamond	1	¹⁄₈	12.5%	0.125	8.0

↑ The size of stacks (or for unstackable items, number) of this item on any given roll.
↑ The weight of this item relative to other items in the pool.
↑ The odds of finding any of this item in a single chest.
↑ The number of items expected per chest, averaged over a large number of chests.
↑ The average number of chests the player should expect to search to find any of this item.

Desert wells

In Java Edition and Bedrock Edition, each desert well's suspicious sand contains 1 item stack, with the following distribution:

Item	Stack Size ^[A]	Weight ^[B]	Chance ^[C]	Avg. per block ^[D]	Avg. # blocks to brush ^[E]
Arms Up Pottery Sherd	1	²⁄₈	25.0%	0.250	4.0
Brewer Pottery Sherd	1	²⁄₈	25.0%	0.250	4.0
Brick	1	¹⁄₈	12.5%	0.125	8.0
Emerald	1	¹⁄₈	12.5%	0.125	8.0
Stick	1	¹⁄₈	12.5%	0.125	8.0
Suspicious Stew^[F]	1	¹⁄₈	12.5%	0.125	8.0

↑ The size of stacks (or for unstackable items, number) of this item on any given roll.
↑ The weight of this item relative to other items in the pool.
↑ The odds of finding any of this item in a single chest.
↑ The number of items expected per chest, averaged over a large number of chests.
↑ The average number of chests the player should expect to search to find any of this item.
↑ The stew grants one of the following effects: 5–7 seconds of Blindness, 7–10 seconds of Jump Boost, 7-10 seconds of Night Vision, 10–20 seconds of Poison, 0.35-0.5 seconds of Saturation, or 6–8 seconds of Weakness.

Trail ruins

In Java Edition, each trail ruin's suspicious gravel contains 1 item stack, with the following distribution:

Item	Stack Size ^[A]	Weight ^[B]	Chance ^[C]	Avg. per block ^[D]	Avg. # blocks to brush ^[E]
Blue Dye	1	²⁄₄₅	4.4%	0.044	22.5
Brick	1	²⁄₄₅	4.4%	0.044	22.5
Brown Candle	1	²⁄₄₅	4.4%	0.044	22.5
Clay	1	²⁄₄₅	4.4%	0.044	22.5
Emerald	1	²⁄₄₅	4.4%	0.044	22.5
Green Candle	1	²⁄₄₅	4.4%	0.044	22.5
Light Blue Dye	1	²⁄₄₅	4.4%	0.044	22.5
Orange Dye	1	²⁄₄₅	4.4%	0.044	22.5
Purple Candle	1	²⁄₄₅	4.4%	0.044	22.5
Red Candle	1	²⁄₄₅	4.4%	0.044	22.5
Wheat	1	²⁄₄₅	4.4%	0.044	22.5
White Dye	1	²⁄₄₅	4.4%	0.044	22.5
Wooden Hoe	1	²⁄₄₅	4.4%	0.044	22.5
Yellow Dye	1	²⁄₄₅	4.4%	0.044	22.5
Beetroot Seeds	1	¹⁄₄₅	2.2%	0.022	45.0
Blue Stained Glass Pane	1	¹⁄₄₅	2.2%	0.022	45.0
Coal	1	¹⁄₄₅	2.2%	0.022	45.0
Dead Bush	1	¹⁄₄₅	2.2%	0.022	45.0
Flower Pot	1	¹⁄₄₅	2.2%	0.022	45.0
Lead	1	¹⁄₄₅	2.2%	0.022	45.0
Light Blue Stained Glass Pane	1	¹⁄₄₅	2.2%	0.022	45.0
Magenta Stained Glass Pane	1	¹⁄₄₅	2.2%	0.022	45.0
Oak Hanging Sign	1	¹⁄₄₅	2.2%	0.022	45.0
Pink Stained Glass Pane	1	¹⁄₄₅	2.2%	0.022	45.0
Purple Stained Glass Pane	1	¹⁄₄₅	2.2%	0.022	45.0
Red Stained Glass Pane	1	¹⁄₄₅	2.2%	0.022	45.0
Spruce Hanging Sign	1	¹⁄₄₅	2.2%	0.022	45.0
String	1	¹⁄₄₅	2.2%	0.022	45.0
Wheat Seeds	1	¹⁄₄₅	2.2%	0.022	45.0
Yellow Stained Glass Pane	1	¹⁄₄₅	2.2%	0.022	45.0
Gold Nugget	1	¹⁄₄₅	2.2%	0.022	45.0

In Bedrock Edition, each trail ruin's suspicious gravel contains 1 item stack, with the following distribution:

Item	Stack Size ^[A]	Weight ^[B]	Chance ^[C]	Avg. per block ^[D]	Avg. # blocks to brush ^[E]
Brick	1	⁴⁄₄₆	8.7%	0.087	11.5
Blue Dye	1	²⁄₄₆	4.3%	0.043	23.0
Brown Candle	1	²⁄₄₆	4.3%	0.043	23.0
Clay Ball	1	²⁄₄₆	4.3%	0.043	23.0
Emerald	1	²⁄₄₆	4.3%	0.043	23.0
Green Candle	1	²⁄₄₆	4.3%	0.043	23.0
Light Blue Dye	1	²⁄₄₆	4.3%	0.043	23.0
Orange Dye	1	²⁄₄₆	4.3%	0.043	23.0
Purple Candle	1	²⁄₄₆	4.3%	0.043	23.0
Red Candle	1	²⁄₄₆	4.3%	0.043	23.0
Wheat	1	²⁄₄₆	4.3%	0.043	23.0
White Dye	1	²⁄₄₆	4.3%	0.043	23.0
Wooden Hoe	1	²⁄₄₆	4.3%	0.043	23.0
Yellow Dye	1	²⁄₄₆	4.3%	0.043	23.0
Beetroot Seeds	1	¹⁄₄₆	2.2%	0.022	46.0
Blue Stained Glass Pane	1	¹⁄₄₆	2.2%	0.022	46.0
Dead Bush	1	¹⁄₄₆	2.2%	0.022	46.0
Flower Pot	1	¹⁄₄₆	2.2%	0.022	46.0
Lead	1	¹⁄₄₆	2.2%	0.022	46.0
Light Blue Stained Glass Pane	1	¹⁄₄₆	2.2%	0.022	46.0
Magenta Stained Glass Pane	1	¹⁄₄₆	2.2%	0.022	46.0
Oak Hanging Sign	1	¹⁄₄₆	2.2%	0.022	46.0
Pink Stained Glass Pane	1	¹⁄₄₆	2.2%	0.022	46.0
Purple Stained Glass Pane	1	¹⁄₄₆	2.2%	0.022	46.0
Red Stained Glass Pane	1	¹⁄₄₆	2.2%	0.022	46.0
Spruce Hanging Sign	1	¹⁄₄₆	2.2%	0.022	46.0
String	1	¹⁄₄₆	2.2%	0.022	46.0
Wheat Seeds	1	¹⁄₄₆	2.2%	0.022	46.0
Yellow Stained Glass Pane	1	¹⁄₄₆	2.2%	0.022	46.0
Gold Nugget	1	¹⁄₄₆	2.2%	0.022	46.0

↑ ^a ^b The size of stacks (or for unstackable items, number) of this item on any given roll.
↑ ^a ^b The weight of this item relative to other items in the pool.
↑ ^a ^b The odds of finding any of this item in a single chest.
↑ ^a ^b The number of items expected per chest, averaged over a large number of chests.
↑ ^a ^b The average number of chests the player should expect to search to find any of this item.

In Java Edition and Bedrock Edition, each trail ruin's rare suspicious gravel contains 1 item stack, with the following distribution:

Item	Stack Size ^[A]	Weight ^[B]	Chance ^[C]	Avg. per block ^[D]	Avg. # blocks to brush ^[E]
Burn Pottery Sherd	1	¹⁄₁₂	8.3%	0.083	12.0
Danger Pottery Sherd	1	¹⁄₁₂	8.3%	0.083	12.0
Music Disc (Relic)	1	¹⁄₁₂	8.3%	0.083	12.0
Friend Pottery Sherd	1	¹⁄₁₂	8.3%	0.083	12.0
Heart Pottery Sherd	1	¹⁄₁₂	8.3%	0.083	12.0
Heartbreak Pottery Sherd	1	¹⁄₁₂	8.3%	0.083	12.0
Host Armor Trim Smithing Template	1	¹⁄₁₂	8.3%	0.083	12.0
Howl Pottery Sherd	1	¹⁄₁₂	8.3%	0.083	12.0
Raiser Armor Trim Smithing Template	1	¹⁄₁₂	8.3%	0.083	12.0
Shaper Armor Trim Smithing Template	1	¹⁄₁₂	8.3%	0.083	12.0
Sheaf Pottery Sherd	1	¹⁄₁₂	8.3%	0.083	12.0
Wayfinder Armor Trim Smithing Template	1	¹⁄₁₂	8.3%	0.083	12.0

↑ The size of stacks (or for unstackable items, number) of this item on any given roll.
↑ The weight of this item relative to other items in the pool.
↑ The odds of finding any of this item in a single chest.
↑ The number of items expected per chest, averaged over a large number of chests.
↑ The average number of chests the player should expect to search to find any of this item.

Ocean ruins

Cold ocean ruins

In Java Edition and Bedrock Edition, each cold ocean ruin's suspicious gravel contains 1 item stack, with the following distribution:

Item	Stack Size ^[A]	Weight ^[B]	Chance ^[C]	Avg. per block ^[D]	Avg. # blocks to brush ^[E]
Coal	1	²⁄₁₅	13.3%	0.133	7.5
Emerald	1	²⁄₁₅	13.3%	0.133	7.5
Wheat	1	²⁄₁₅	13.3%	0.133	7.5
Wooden Hoe	1	²⁄₁₅	13.3%	0.133	7.5
Gold Nugget	1	²⁄₁₅	13.3%	0.133	7.5
Blade Pottery Sherd	1	¹⁄₁₅	6.7%	0.067	15.0
Explorer Pottery Sherd	1	¹⁄₁₅	6.7%	0.067	15.0
Mourner Pottery Sherd	1	¹⁄₁₅	6.7%	0.067	15.0
Plenty Pottery Sherd	1	¹⁄₁₅	6.7%	0.067	15.0
Iron Axe	1	¹⁄₁₅	6.7%	0.067	15.0

↑ The size of stacks (or for unstackable items, number) of this item on any given roll.
↑ The weight of this item relative to other items in the pool.
↑ The odds of finding any of this item in a single chest.
↑ The number of items expected per chest, averaged over a large number of chests.
↑ The average number of chests the player should expect to search to find any of this item.

Warm ocean ruins

In Java Edition and Bedrock Edition, each warm ocean ruin's suspicious sand contains 1 item stack, with the following distribution:

Item	Stack Size ^[A]	Weight ^[B]	Chance ^[C]	Avg. per block ^[D]	Avg. # blocks to brush ^[E]
Coal	1	²⁄₁₅	13.3%	0.133	7.5
Emerald	1	²⁄₁₅	13.3%	0.133	7.5
Wheat	1	²⁄₁₅	13.3%	0.133	7.5
Wooden Hoe	1	²⁄₁₅	13.3%	0.133	7.5
Gold Nugget	1	²⁄₁₅	13.3%	0.133	7.5
Angler Pottery Sherd	1	¹⁄₁₅	6.7%	0.067	15.0
Shelter Pottery Sherd	1	¹⁄₁₅	6.7%	0.067	15.0
Sniffer Egg	1	¹⁄₁₅	6.7%	0.067	15.0
Snort Pottery Sherd	1	¹⁄₁₅	6.7%	0.067	15.0
Iron Axe	1	¹⁄₁₅	6.7%	0.067	15.0

↑ The size of stacks (or for unstackable items, number) of this item on any given roll.
↑ The weight of this item relative to other items in the pool.
↑ The odds of finding any of this item in a single chest.
↑ The number of items expected per chest, averaged over a large number of chests.
↑ The average number of chests the player should expect to search to find any of this item.

Advancements

Icon	Advancement	In-game description	Actual requirements (if different)
	Respecting the Remnants	Brush a Suspicious block to obtain a Pottery Sherd	Brush either suspicious sand or suspicious gravel and have any pottery sherd in the inventory. These two events can happen separately from one another.
	Smells Interesting	Obtain a Sniffer Egg	Have a sniffer egg in the inventory. This is a hidden advancement, meaning that it can be viewed by the player only after completing it, regardless of if its child advancement(s), if any, have been completed.

Video

History

Java Edition
October 3rd, 2020		Archaeology was announced at Minecraft Live 2020.
April 14th, 2021		Archaeology was delayed indefinitely.
November 17th, 2021		Archaeology was announced to be added after The Wild Update.
February 10th, 2023		Archaeology was announced to be added in 1.20.
1.19.4 Experiment Update 1.20	23w07a	Added archaeology behind the "Update 1.20" experimental data pack.
1.20	23w12a	Archaeology is now out of the "Update 1.20" experimental data pack.
Bedrock Edition
1.19.70 Experiment Next Major Update	Preview 1.19.70.23	Added archaeology behind the "Next Major Update" experimental toggle.
1.20.0	Preview 1.20.0.21	Archaeology is now out of the "Next Major Update" experimental toggle.

Clay pots.
Ceramic sherds.
An excavation site.
Dig site from Minecraft Live 2020.

Issues

Issues relating to "Archaeology" are maintained on the bug tracker. Issues should be reported and viewed there.

Gallery

Screenshots

Clay pots and a brush.
Two stacked pots outside a desert pyramid.
A pot next to a dropped brush.
Four pots inside a desert pyramid.
Pots stacked next to a desert village house.
Two lone pots next to a desert well.
Efe brushing suspicious gravel at a trail ruin.
An archaeology room in a desert pyramid.
Noor excavates a desert pyramid.
Efe uncovers a sniffer egg in an ocean ruin.

Concept artwork

Concept art.

In other media

Suspicious sand being brushed.
Ari brushing suspicious sand in the Trails & Tales trailer.
A pottery sherd being dug out of the ground.
Sunny holding up a newly recovered sherd.

Navigation

[stacksize-1] The size of stacks (or for unstackable items, number) of this item on any given roll.

[weight-2] The weight of this item relative to other items in the pool.

[chance-3] The odds of finding any of this item in a single chest.

[items-4] The number of items expected per chest, averaged over a large number of chests.

[chests-5] The average number of chests the player should expect to search to find any of this item.

[stacksize-6] The size of stacks (or for unstackable items, number) of this item on any given roll.

[weight-7] The weight of this item relative to other items in the pool.

[chance-8] The odds of finding any of this item in a single chest.

[items-9] The number of items expected per chest, averaged over a large number of chests.

[chests-10] The average number of chests the player should expect to search to find any of this item.

[suspicious-stew-11] The stew grants one of the following effects: 5–7 seconds of Blindness, 7–10 seconds of Jump Boost, 7-10 seconds of Night Vision, 10–20 seconds of Poison, 0.35-0.5 seconds of Saturation, or 6–8 seconds of Weakness.

[stacksize-12] The size of stacks (or for unstackable items, number) of this item on any given roll.

[weight-13] The weight of this item relative to other items in the pool.

[chance-14] The odds of finding any of this item in a single chest.

[items-15] The number of items expected per chest, averaged over a large number of chests.

[chests-16] The average number of chests the player should expect to search to find any of this item.

[stacksize-17] The size of stacks (or for unstackable items, number) of this item on any given roll.

[weight-18] The weight of this item relative to other items in the pool.

[chance-19] The odds of finding any of this item in a single chest.

[items-20] The number of items expected per chest, averaged over a large number of chests.

[chests-21] The average number of chests the player should expect to search to find any of this item.

[stacksize-22] The size of stacks (or for unstackable items, number) of this item on any given roll.

[weight-23] The weight of this item relative to other items in the pool.

[chance-24] The odds of finding any of this item in a single chest.

[items-25] The number of items expected per chest, averaged over a large number of chests.

[chests-26] The average number of chests the player should expect to search to find any of this item.

[stacksize-27] The size of stacks (or for unstackable items, number) of this item on any given roll.

[weight-28] The weight of this item relative to other items in the pool.

[chance-29] The odds of finding any of this item in a single chest.

[items-30] The number of items expected per chest, averaged over a large number of chests.

[chests-31] The average number of chests the player should expect to search to find any of this item.

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v t e Gameplay
General mechanics	Add-ons Attribute Commands Distance Effect Potency Explosion Game rules Interaction range Inventory Creative inventory Saved Hotbars Generated loot Hitbox Multiplayer Server Server list Realms Splitscreen Oxidation Rarity Legacy Redstone circuits Conductivity Renewability Renewable Non-renewable Rotation Snowlogging South-east rule Spawn protection Tiers Waterlogging
Survival	Achievements Advancements Armor materials Bartering Breaking Instant mining Breeding Brewing Cooking Crafting 2×2 grid Recipe book Dual wield Difficulty Durability Enchanting Experience Farming Fishing Health Healing Hunger Item repair Mob spawning Ominous Event Ominous Trial Raid Patrol Raid captain Smelting Smithing World Spawn Taming Trading Workstations Zombie siege
Combat	Blocking Damage Attack cooldown Critical hit Knockback Sprint-knockback Drops Monster infighting Geared mobs
Environment	Biomes Daylight cycle Dimensions Seeds Structures Weather World generation More
Movement	Crawling Flying Gliding Jumping Lying Riding Sitting Sneaking Sprinting Swimming Walking
User interface	Action bar Bossbar Chat Death messages Game mode switcher Heads-up display Narrator Locator bar Scoreboard Toasts Tutorial hints Tooltip
Visuals	Color Block colors Item colors Effect colors Miscellaneous colors Emotes Enchantment glint Error Light Resource pack Screen effects Skins Character Skin pack Third-person view Vibrant Visuals
Outdated	Sword blocking Materials Update Suppression