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A retired professor at the Mesa Verde dig site told me I was digging too fast back in 2018
He pointed out I was missing the small charcoal flecks that indicate hearth features, things you can't see if you're just shoveling. Turns out he was right, I went back over one trench and found a storage pit I completely walked past. Now I take twice as long on every test unit and my soil screening is way more thorough. Has anyone else had a seasoned archaeologist call them out on technique?
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xenar141mo ago
Reminds me of when I was a kid on a church dig in New Mexico. Old guy with a handlebar mustache told me I was sifting dirt like I was panning for gold, he showed me how to feather the screen to keep the fragile stuff intact. Never forgot that lesson, makes me wonder how many sites got torn up by well meaning volunteers before someone spoke up.
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emmafisher1mo ago
Pretty sure Mesa Verde hasn't had active digs with paid crews since the 1990s, might have been a different site or a volunteer program they were running.
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