Just realized that guy on the excavation site was right about brushing sideways

Was working a dig near Santa Fe last month and this older volunteer kept telling me to stop brushing straight back from artifacts. I thought he was being picky. Then I watched him uncover a tiny clay figurine by brushing sideways and it didn't even shift. Tried it on a flint scraper later and saw tool marks I'd missed for hours. Made me wonder how many details I've trashed not listening. Anyone else have a basic technique change that made a huge difference?

2 comments

2 Comments

val_wilson7d ago

nah see thats the thing, you're assuming sideways brushing is always the way to go but i've seen that method mess stuff up too. worked a site in west texas a few years back where this guy was doing the sideways thing on a bone tool and he actually scraped off the edge polish because he was dragging grit across it sideways for too long. straight back brushing pushes loose dirt away clean if you're careful and don't lean into it. plus if you're dealing with friable material like some of those clays around the southwest a sideways motion can catch an edge and flip a piece right out of place. every site's different and the older guys get locked into their one trick without thinking about what the actual dirt is doing.

the_avery6d ago

Got a buddy who spent years digging in Illinois and he swore by brushing in little circles instead of any straight line. Said it kept the dirt from building up on one side and gave him a better feel for the shape underneath. Tried it once on a broken pottery piece and I could actually feel where the edge was before I saw it.