Can we talk about the new rules for handling artifacts in the field?

I used to just bag and tag finds right away, but after a dig in Tucson last year, I saw how much detail gets lost. Now I spend at least ten minutes sketching the exact spot and taking photos with a scale and north arrow before anything moves. The change came after we found a pottery shard that looked plain until the photo showed it was resting on a charcoal layer we almost missed. Anyone else had to totally rework their field process like this?

3 comments

3 Comments

emma_baker6120h ago

Yeah, that charcoal layer thing is exactly why I switched to grid photos first.

jordan_hill19h ago

Wait, you guys weren't already doing the photos with the scale and everything first? That's wild to me. I figured that was basic field work for years now. Sketching the spot too, sure, but missing a charcoal layer because you moved something too fast is a nightmare. Makes me wonder what else has been walked past on old sites.

williamw7511h ago

Seriously, you were just bagging stuff without photos first? That's like archaeology 101. I had a professor who would fail you on the spot for moving a flint flake before documenting its matrix. @emma_baker61 is totally right about grid photos, they save your butt every time. I still remember finding what looked like random bone fragments until the overhead grid shot showed they were in a perfect little circle, turned out to be a rodent burrow that messed with the stratigraphy. How did your old method even work on a complex site?