SHERD

In archaeology, a 'sherd' is commonly a historic or prehistoric fragment of pottery, although the term is occasionally used of fragments from broken stone and glass vessels as well.
Occasionally, a piece of broken pottery may be referred to as a 'shard', or the more precise term 'potsherd' can be used. It should be noted that while the word 'shard' is generally reserved for referring to fragments of glass vessels (possibly as the word is reminiscent of — though not etymologically related to — "sharp") the term does not necessarily exclude pottery fragments.
A sherd or potsherd with writing painted or inscribed on it can be more precisely referred to as an ostracon.

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See also

See also

★ Ostracon