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Serious question, is it reckless to skip rest days on a dig when you're close to a big find?
I was reading about that cave painting site in France where the team worked straight for two weeks to document everything before the season ended. On one side, I get it - you don't want rain or tourists to mess things up, so you push through. But on the other side, from what I do fixing pipes, when you're dog-tired, you start cutting corners and that's when stuff breaks. Like, an archaeologist missing sleep might mislabel a layer or crack a fragile tool. So, should crews be forced to take breaks even if it means delaying the dig? Or is the chance to uncover something huge worth the health risk? Idk, maybe it's just me, but I see both points. How do you all weigh safety against not losing a discovery?
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mila_hunt641mo ago
Chauvet Cave in France has some of the oldest art we know. Skipping rest days is just too risky, even close to a big find. Tired crews can make tiny mistakes that ruin whole layers of history. Your pipe fixing example is spot on, fatigue makes us sloppy. Pushing through might seem good short term, but it risks the very thing you're trying to save.
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dixon.spencer1mo ago
Honestly yeah, that tired sloppiness hits home. I once tried to hang a picture frame after a long day and put three holes in the wall before I got it right. So I totally get how a whole ancient layer could get messed up from just being wiped out.
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