Vent: My first field season in Turkey and I almost lost a pottery sherd down a ravine

I was surveying a site near Antalya last month and my trowel slipped, sending a piece of painted Hellenistic pottery skittering toward a steep drop. I basically dove for it and caught it just before the edge, but my heart was pounding for a solid ten minutes. We managed to record its exact find spot, grid square 7B, and it turned out to be a key piece for dating that sector. Has anyone else had a near-miss like that in the field?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_wade18d ago

That orange flagging tape trick is the real deal. I had a similar panic with a tiny obsidian flake in New Mexico, sun was glaring right off it. I just froze and yelled for my partner to come tape a big X on the ground around me before I even breathed. It sounds silly but when something that small is the only proof of a whole activity area, your brain goes into full rescue mode. You just know it's going to blend right into the ground the second you look away.

ross.sean1mo ago

Lost a Roman coin in tall grass once. Marked the spot with a bright orange flagging tape before I even moved my feet.

masonpark1mo ago

Oh man, that's the smartest move. I've watched a tiny arrowhead vanish forever in some leaves. That orange tape is a lifesaver. You just know if you take your eyes off the spot for a second, it's gone. Good call not even moving your feet first.