Archiology update features in 1.20

Archeology is finally actually being added to Minecraft! In Java Edition snapshot 23w07a as well as Bedrock Edition’s Preview 1.19.70.23, decorated pots, along with brushes, pottery shards, have been added.

Archiology update features in 1.20

Pottery Shards can be obtained by using the new Brush item on a new block, Suspicious Sand, which can be found buried in desert wells and desert pyramids. You might find that newly generated desert temples will have new rooms buried inside them, which are completely flooded with sand. You will have to excavate inside the structures, being careful not to break the suspicious sand which might be buried under normal sand blocks. The brush is crafted using two sticks and three string, in the same shape as a pickaxe.

Suspicious Sand excavated inside a pyramid, with the new brush and pottery shard items.
Suspicious Sand excavated inside a pyramid, with the new brush and pottery shard items.

Decorated pots can be crafted in a crafting table using four pottery shards in a diamond shape. Bricks can also be used in place of the pottery shards to create a decorated pot with undecorated side(s).

There are currently four Pottery Shards (and corresponding textures that can be applied to Decorated Pots): Archer, Prize, Arms Up, and Skull.

A collection of the new Decorated Pots.
A collection of the new Decorated Pots.

Decorated Pots are a block that can be placed in the world. The body of the pot is one block high, and a little less wide than a fill block. This means they can be placed on top of each other to create some kind of weird ceramic pillar. The neck of the pot extends above the block, and can clip through blocks placed above the pot such as trapdoors and carpets.