A retired professor at a dig in Crete showed me how to spot a fake Minoan sherd by licking it

I was working a survey outside Knossos back in 2018 with a small crew. This older fellow named Dimitris walked over while I was holding up a piece of pottery that looked too perfect. He took it from me, ran his tongue across the broken edge, and handed it back saying 'this tastes like cement, not clay'. Turns out modern forgers use a different binder that leaves a chemical taste. He could identify modern repairs the same way. I still check every unusual find by that method. Has anyone else run into field workers using taste or smell tests that actually work?

2 comments

2 Comments

noah_chen171mo ago

The thing about taste testing pottery that nobody brings up is how well it works on museum pieces too. Licked a jar at a small museum in Sitia once that was supposed to be Minoan but tasted like industrial glue from some restoration job in the 80s. Guards didn't appreciate it though, almost got kicked out. If Dimitris ever teaches a course on this someone should warn people not to try it in front of security.

angela431mo ago

Noted for next time I visit a museum. Bring snacks for the guards so they don't notice the licking.