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I finally compared hand excavation vs a shovel in that dry Texas site
Spent last weekend digging test pits at the old Wilson homestead outside Austin. Hand troweling was slow but I caught a tiny arrowhead flake the shovel absolutely would have mangled. Anyone else stick to gentle tools even when time is tight?
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the_alice7h ago
Weren't you worried about missing stuff with the shovel?
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the_brian7h ago
About three feet into my first hole I already knew I made a mistake. I ended up digging twice as wide as I needed just to be sure I wasn't missing anything. Now I always use a sifter or just take it slow with a hand trowel in the initial spot.
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the_sean5h ago
The shovel thing" - that's exactly why I side with @the_brian on this. If I'm digging a test hole, I want to see every last bit of what's down there, not just what stays on a shovel. Missing a tiny sherd or a lead soldier because I was rushing with a shovel would drive me crazy forever. A hand trowel is slow and boring but at least I know I've looked at every fistful of dirt before it leaves the hole.
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