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Warning: I almost ruined a ceramic fragment by scrubbing it too hard
I found a piece of pottery during a dig and got excited. A senior archaeologist showed me that gentle brushing with a soft toothbrush is MUCH safer. Have you ever made a similar cleanup error?
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abby6752mo ago
Reading this and @elizabethh63's comment hits home, idk maybe it's just me but I've been there too. I once got overzealous with a wire brush on a bone fragment, thinking it was just caked mud. Turns out it had this fine etched pattern that I basically scrubbed away in one spot, my field lead gave me that look of pure disappointment.
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barnes.karen2mo ago
Reflect on the rush of finding something. That excitement makes us want to see it clean right away. Like @elizabethh63 with the stone tool, we forget that slow care saves details. I learned to always test a small spot first, even if it takes more time. It turns cleanup into a careful study, not just a chore.
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elizabethh632mo ago
What kind of pottery was it? I did something like that with a small stone tool once. I used a stiff brush and actually wore down some of the finer edge detail before I caught myself. It’s a lesson you only need to learn once.
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