Had to pick between two excavation sites last month... I chose wrong

I was part of a dig in southern Arizona and got to choose between mapping a known Hohokam village or checking out a new site with some weird ground markings. I went with the new spot because it seemed exciting, but we found nothing but disturbed soil from old cattle grazing. Has anyone else passed up a sure thing for a hunch and regretted it?

3 comments

3 Comments

veraj5325d ago

Gosh, I used to think you had to take risks to find anything good, but this really changed my mind. You make a solid point about building credibility first, because those sure things are what pay off down the road. Why not take the safe option and then use that win to chase the hunches later?

harper69326d ago

Man, I feel that. Back in 2012 I was on a dig in New Mexico and had to pick between a documented Pueblo III site with known kiva structures or a spot where a rancher swore he found old pottery shards. I took the gamble on the rancher's spot and spent two weeks pulling up nothing but broken beer bottles from the 1950s and a rusted tractor part. My advice is always take the known site first even if it sounds boring. You can use that data to get funding for your hunches later and it builds your credibility with the project leads. Nothing wrong with following a hunch but anchor yourself with a sure thing first.

the_nathan26d ago

So basically you traded a surefire kiva for a pile of Coors bottles and a tractor part. Hope that rancher at least bought you a beer.