My professor told me to always check the spoil heap first

I was working on a dig in Cornwall last summer and we were stuck. My old professor, Dr. Evans, always said 'the real story is in what they threw away.' So I spent a morning sifting through the spoil heap from the main trench. Found a perfectly intact Roman coin that had been missed, which totally changed our dating for the site layer. Anyone else have a piece of advice from a mentor that actually paid off big time?

4 comments

4 Comments

sarahpark21d ago

The carved bone needle story from the_viola is wild, I mean you literally stood right next to that pile all day and it was hiding in plain sight. Shows you can't ever get too comfortable or assume something's been fully checked. Maybe it's just me but that kind of find makes you wonder how many other small treasures get tossed without anyone ever knowing.

the_pat1mo ago

That's solid advice that applies way beyond archaeology. People tend to overlook the discarded stuff, the literal or metaphorical trash heap, in all sorts of fields. It's often where the most honest, unfiltered story is hiding.

the_viola1mo ago

Ever notice how the best finds are never where you're "supposed" to look? My first dig boss made us check the screen for the pile of already-sifted dirt at the end of EVERY day. Said the light hits different later and you're tired and miss things. He was totally right. Found a tiny carved bone needle that way everyone else walked past. That spoil heap is a second chance, never skip it.

mileslane1mo agoMost Upvoted

Sometimes the trash heap is just trash.