The dig site in Ohio that shifted how I read soil layers forever

Last fall I volunteered on a small excavation near the Ohio River, just a weekend thing. The lead archaeologist pointed at a dark patch in the dirt and said "that's 200 years of someone's trash pit, not a post hole." I had been misreading those stains for months in other projects. Turns out the charcoal bits and broken clay sherds tell a different story than the neat circular outlines I was looking for. Now I always check for those little flecks before I call anything a structural feature. Has anyone else had a moment where an experienced hand on site corrected your eyes like that, and it stuck with you?

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brianm272d ago

That dark patch comment reminds me of my buddy Dave, who spent a whole season calling a fire pit a grave until the crew chief laughed him out of the field.