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Shoutout to the guy who told me to pick a trowel over a brush at that dig site
I was out volunteering last summer at a local spot near Austin (just a small prehistoric site, nothing huge) and I had to choose between a standard trowel and a soft brush for clearing around some bone fragments. I went with the trowel, thinking I could work faster and be more precise. Big mistake (kind of). I ended up scratching the surface of what turned out to be a bison rib fragment, and the lead archaeologist gave me a look I won't forget. He handed me a brush and said to take my time, which felt slow but saved the details they needed. Now I always grab a brush first when I'm near any bone or fragile artifact, even if it means going slower. Has anyone else had a moment where picking the wrong tool messed up a find for you?
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briancarter4mo ago
That "look" from the lead is something you NEVER forget, man.
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thompson.nathan4mo ago
Haha man I totally get that now. I used to roll my eyes at people saying that cause I thought it was just hype, but @briancarter after seeing it in person I finally understood. It's like this silent thing that just hits you right in the chest.
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miles724mo ago
Yeah that look is brutal... it just sinks in and you know you messed up without a word being said. I still remember the exact feeling of wanting to rewind time about ten seconds. It's one of those lessons you only need to learn once though.
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