Archaeology involves finding and historically classifying things from the past. A similar feature has long been promised in Minecraft, as the game is perfectly suited for long-forgotten and buried secrets. With the Minecraft Trails & Tales Update (1.20), archaeology features have finally been added. You can now look into Minecraft’s past! On your quest to find excavation sites, you’ll stumble upon some exciting items that we will introduce to you!
Archaeology in Minecraft: How the New Feature & the Brush Work
Your most important tool on an archaeological excursion is a brush, which you can craft from a stick, a copper ingot, and a feather. You can start relatively early and begin your search for some items within your first hours in Minecraft. To make the brush last longer than 64 uses, you can enchant it with Unbreaking and Mending.
Finding Strange Sand & Gravel: How to Discover Rare Items in Minecraft Archaeology
With the brush, you then need to search for strange gravel and sand. These can be found in five different excavation sites and contain rare items that you can’t find anywhere else. Simply hold down right-click and watch as the item is uncovered by the brush.
Sometimes it can be difficult to distinguish between normal sand/gravel and their strange variants. So be careful, just like real archaeologists. You don’t want to accidentally destroy one of your finds with a shovel! Our image should hopefully give you a clue as to what you need to look for in the texture.
All Excavation Sites: Trail Ruins, Temples & Ocean Ruins in Minecraft
Armed with a brush, you then need to search for excavation sites. Here are five places where you can look for unique items. While four of these structures have been in Minecraft for a while, there is also a completely new place for you to find and excavate! It’s worth visiting all five structures because many of the items are exclusive. You won’t be able to find everything in just one location.
Trail Ruins: Discover New Excavation Sites with Exclusive Items:
The new structure of the Trail Ruins is perfect for archaeology in Minecraft! They point to an older population that might have lived in your Minecraft world. The Trail Ruins can only be found in these rare biomes: Jungle, Birch Forest, Old Growth Pine Taiga, Old Growth Spruce Taiga, Snowy Taiga, and regular Taiga. They are hardly visible on the surface and are deeply buried underground. They mostly consist of ceramics and mud. Here you can find both strange sand and gravel for excavations.
Desert Temples: Uncover Hidden Rooms & Rare Items with the Brush
Desert temples are some of the oldest structures in Minecraft and have gained a new purpose through archaeology. A small new room has been added behind (strange) sand where you can also conduct some excavations. Fittingly for the chamber inside, you can find TNT and gunpowder here.
Desert Wells: How to Find Hidden Treasures & Emeralds in Minecraft
Desert wells are also very old and had almost no function until now, except for being decorative. However, with a brush, you can find some strange sand here. Simply look underwater and dig carefully to find some treasures. Emeralds are probably the best thing you can find here.
Cold Ocean Ruins: Underwater Excavations & Rare Items in Minecraft
As the name suggests, you can find these ruins underwater in cold regions. They consist of various decayed structures. Here you’ll encounter strange gravel that you can dig up. It’s best to use a Potion of Water Breathing and Night Vision to navigate better.
Warm Ocean Ruins: How to Find Sniffer Eggs & Other Rare Items
Ocean ruins are also found in warm biomes, where you should dive with potions in hand. They consist of sandstone and contain strange sand. They are particularly good for a very rare item, which we will discuss shortly!
These Rare Items Can Be Found in Minecraft’s Excavation Sites (Archaeology Guide)
The items you can find using the brush in all five locations differ slightly. Often they are related to a potential ancient civilisation. So you will find things like coal, valuable items like emeralds, gold nuggets or diamonds, as well as glass panes, candles, dyes, and seeds. However, there are some rare items you should definitely keep an eye out for!
Finding Sniffer Eggs: How to Search in Warm Ocean Ruins
Location: Warm Ocean Ruin
In the section on locations, we already mentioned that there is a very important and rare item that you can ONLY find in the warm ocean ruins. Dig around in the strange sand with a brush, and you will have the chance to find a Sniffer Egg. Inside is a very ancient creature that can lead you to rare flowers.
Pottery Shards & Pots: How to Collect and Craft Decor Items in Minecraft Archaeology
Location: All five structures (but unique)
If you’d rather decorate, then you can search for the pottery shards. These can later be used to craft decorative pots in which you can hide items. Each excavation site has different shards hidden!
Number per location:
- Trail Ruins: 7 Pottery Shards
- Desert Temple: 4 Pottery Shards
- Desert Well: 2 Pottery Shards
- Cold Ocean Ruin: 4 Pottery Shards
- Warm Ocean Ruin: 3 Pottery Shards
Some of the 23 shards can also be found in the trial chambers, which have also been added in this update. We have a separate article on that (Minecraft Trial Chambers: How to Find & Master Them!) , if you want to explore further.
Finding Smithing Templates: Exclusive Designs from Trail Ruins in Minecraft
Location: Trail Ruin
You can also find four unique smithing templates for your armour in the Trail Ruins. We’ve already written an article about this topic (Minecraft Armour: The Best Enchantments, Armour Stands and Smithing Templates Explained) , if you want to learn more. They are primarily for stylish armour and give you a unique appearance.
You can find:
- Wayfinder Armour Trim
- Raiser Armour Trim
- Shaper Armour Trim
- Host Armour Trim
Record “Relic”: How to Find Rare Music in Minecraft Archaeology
Location: Trail Ruin
Lastly, you can also find one of the many records in the Trail Ruins if you dig up strange gravel with the brush. The record “Relic” has a rather friendly character and is reminiscent of old chiptune music. If you want to find all the other records in Minecraft, check out our article on it (Minecraft Records: All Locations & How to Build an Automatic Farm) !
Conclusion: Why Minecraft Archaeology is Worthwhile & How to Find All Items
Minecraft is a game that invites exploration. The new features of the Trails & Tales Update offer you new and unique ways to discover Minecraft’s potential past! With a brush, you should definitely search for these excavation sites and visit some of the ancient ruins. Rent your own Minecraft server with us and explore your world together with your friends!
