TIL my old way of cleaning finds was actually hurting them

I was at a dig in central Texas last year and a senior archaeologist, Dr. Miller, saw me using a stiff brush on some pottery shards. She told me I was scrubbing off the surface residue that could tell us about what was stored in them. Now I use a soft toothbrush and distilled water, and I've found way more organic traces left behind. Has anyone else had to change a basic field habit after getting called out?

2 comments

2 Comments

lopez.holly22d ago

Yeah, "scrubbing off the surface residue" is such a common rookie mistake. We've all been there.

rose_hart3122d ago

Honestly gotta push back on what @lopez.holly said... sometimes that surface residue is the whole problem. Scrubbing it off isn't a mistake, it's just the first real step to seeing what you're actually working with. Calling it a rookie move just makes people scared to touch anything. A lot of projects never get started because folks are told they're doing it wrong from the jump.