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?

3 comments

3 Comments

briancarter10d ago

That "look" from the lead is something you NEVER forget, man.

thompson.nathan10d 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.

miles729d 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.