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That grad student in Tucson who said we should just leave everything in the ground
We were at a site talk and she argued that some digs do more harm than good, especially with new tech coming. She pointed at a half-exposed wall and said 'We're basically looting this for our dissertations.' Has anyone else had a conversation that made you question the whole point of a dig?
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susanb342mo ago
Watched a buddy's team pull up a perfectly preserved basket that crumbled in their hands before they could even get a photo. They just boxed up the dust and went home.
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robert_scott572mo ago
Used to think that was crazy talk, like why even be an archaeologist then. But last year we were clearing a site that was falling apart faster than we could record it. Felt like we were the reason it was turning to dust, just so we could take pictures and write papers. Now I get what she meant about some places being better off left alone until we have the right tools. Makes you wonder how much we've already lost just by being in a hurry.
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