While some people might look at this and only see trash, the archaeologist in me looks at it and gets excited. Deposits of sea glass and ceramics along beaches are getting fewer and fewer thanks to dwindling littering and garbage laws.  Sea glass is one of my favorite things to search for on the beach. While some of the glass is “modern” (1900-1990s), there is a lot that is from 120 years ago or more. One indicator of age for sea glass is the thickness of the glass. The thicker it is, or more rudimentary and not symmetrical, the older it is. Unfortunately, there aren’t a lot of intact bottles or items thanks to the rough surf that hits the beach. The tides vary a lot and the beach gets hit by a lot of storms with no barrier protection. 

Oddly enough, wine bottle bottoms were in high number along the beach. Most were worn away, but this one clearly stated what it used to hold. Definitely a bit newer than some of the items on the beach, it was still a  pretty thick bottom.

Oyster shells were also in abundance on the shoreline.  This is a new thing as oysters were fairly scarce up until recently. According to the Massachusetts Oyster Project: 
* Oyster shells help to offset the acidity of the ocean
* Oyster reefs can combat storm surge
* 1 oyster can filter 50 gallons of water per day
* Some people find them delicious (uck! haha)

For myself, I found that the bottoms of the shells were perfect for shell skipping. I’ve never had much luck with skipping stones, but oyster shells? I’m a gold medalist 😉 Next time you are in Boston Harbor, give it a try!