c/archaeology-discoveries

That whole 'stone tools only' theory bugged me at the Monte Verde site

Everyone kept saying early humans in Chile were just using basic rocks. I saw the preserved wooden planks and twisted plant fibers in the museum display. Dug into the excavation report from the 80s - they found cordage and even a digging stick. Walked over to the curator and asked if they considered woodworking as advanced. She laughed and said most visitors skip that case entirely. Anyone else notice how we ignore organic tools in these old dig sites?

1 comments

barnes.shane•2d ago

My dad casually dropped a fact about our backyard that flipped my whole understanding of our family property

So I'm visiting my parents last weekend and my dad is out in the yard pointing at a weird hump in the grass near the old oak tree. He tells me that when he bought the place in 1987, the previous owner mentioned that spot was where a 19th century farmhouse used to sit. Then he just says 'we probably should have reported that to somebody, huh?' and walks inside. I stood there for a solid minute realizing I've been grilling burgers and playing catch over what could be an actual archaeological site. Now I can't stop thinking about what might be buried a foot under that lawn... old bottles, maybe even a well or some foundation. Has anyone else ever found out their own property has that kind of history sitting right underneath them?

c/archaeology-discoveries

That whole 'stone tools only' theory bugged me at the Monte Verde site

My dad casually dropped a fact about our backyard that flipped my whole understanding of our family property

Appreciation post: handwritten excavation notes vs. a tablet in the field

Spent $75 on a ground-penetrating radar rental for a weekend dig

Hit 500 volunteer hours at the dig site last Saturday

Question about those bone tools found in Oregon last year

Saw a 1950s aerial photo of my neighborhood at the library yesterday

That Tuesday when we found a whole Roman camp in a farmer's field changed my view on fieldwalking forever

Can we talk about the hidden layers at the Cahokia Mounds site?

Finally found why my excavation photos were all wrong

That week in Jordan changed my mind about looted artifacts

Had to change my whole dig plan after that Roman site in Bath

Found a 200-year-old survey marker under six layers of paint on a trim job in Savannah last month

Back when we used paper maps on digs in Arizona

That Viking settlement claim I laughed at turned out to be real

Broke a 2000 year old pot at the museum yesterday. Felt sick.

Serious question, did the Clovis people actually disappear or just change their tools?

Always argued bronze swords were better than iron until that talk at the museum

That week in July digging at a Viking site in Norway felt like a total waste

Serious question, did those ancient stone tools actually work better than modern ones for certain tasks?

Finally clued in why my field notes were useless after a dig coordinator sighed at my sketchbook near Silchester last June

I finally saw the excavation photos from 2015 vs last summer at Tel Gezer

Shoutout to the guy who told me to dig test pits before buying land

Spotted a weird stone pattern at the Cahokia Mounds visitor center

Spotted a weird stone pattern at the Cahokia Mounds visitor center