The time I had to pick between a trowel and a toothbrush at a dig

So I was on a volunteer dig in New Mexico last fall, helping clear a small pueblo site. The lead archaeologist gave me a choice: I could either help scrape back a large floor area with a standard trowel, or I could spend the day carefully cleaning a single, intact pot with a soft brush and a dental pick. I went with the pot, thinking it sounded more interesting. Big mistake. Six hours later, I was still sitting in the same spot, my back was killing me, and I had removed about a cup of dirt. The person with the trowel had uncovered a whole new corner of the room. I learned that day that the 'glamorous' job is often the most boring one in the field. Has anyone else picked the wrong task on a dig and just had to stick with it?

2 comments

2 Comments

martinez.ryan11d ago

Man, I feel that in my lower back just reading it.

mitchell.daniel11d ago

My buddy did that once and @martinez.ryan, he couldn't stand up straight for a week.