I finally get why field survey is so frustrating sometimes

Was out near a creek bed in western Kansas last month, mapping what looked like a promising site from satellite photos. Spent 3 hours hiking in 90 degree heat, only to find the whole area had been plowed under last fall. The farmer didn't even know there was anything there. So I spent another hour just walking the furrows looking for any flakes or pottery fragments. Found exactly one broken arrowhead tip (which is something, I guess). My back hurt for two days after. Has anyone else wasted a whole day on a site that turned out to be completely destroyed by modern farming?

2 comments

2 Comments

victorclark23d ago

Tbh that's rough. Farming destroys so much of the archaeological record out here. You're lucky to even get that arrowhead tip honestly.

richard_ramirez23d ago

Farmers and archaeologists should be working together more often. A lot of guys I know will let archaeologists come survey before they plow a new field. Saves everyone time and keeps stuff from getting smashed up. Local university did that near Lubbock a few years back and found a whole campsite nobody knew about.