I am not an archeologist, but I suspect that this is due in part to how and where intact objects are discovered. Usually a vase, statue, figurine, or other obj

I am not an archeologist, but I suspect that this is due in part to how and where intact objects are discovered. Usually a vase, statue, figurine, or other object will only survive in tact over thousands of years if it's left in a sequestered area and treated with extreme care. Further Archeologists tend to focus on objects that appear to bear cultural significance and hence are unlikely to report on "common" items. There is a somewhat nascent set of research which focuses on the common items and their leftovers. Even cities annihilated by time leave behind pottery, and currency fragments in the dirt. You can even correlate these fragments with other cites to identify the extant of a trade network.