A Herculean Challenge & Zen by Rachel R.

Today was only a half-day in the field, but we managed to get quite a lot done. I got to dig my first prehistoric level control unit. We saw a couple chert flakes while excavating today, but won't know more until the dirt is screened and sorted in the lab. The soil here is all very sandy, and keeping perfect side walls on a 1x1 meter unit is a Herculean challenge. I had worked on a historic unit earlier in the week and it was interesting to learn the different procedures between prehistoric and historic excavation. For example, historic unit levels are excavated by context/soil changes, and prehistoric units are done by 10cm increments.

This means that the floors of prehistoric levels need to be completely flat, and historic levels can be all kinds of crazy shapes. Most of the morning I was in the lab sorting. I love lab work, and getting into a zen-like zone while sorting makes the hours fly by. It is incredible to me how many things can be in a shovel of dirt: teeny-tiny fragments of shell, the smallest chert flakes I've ever seen, a rainbow of glass pieces, and lots of pretty rocks that are of no archaeological value. All in all, this week has been an incredible experience. The folks at the Dana Adobe have been extremely hospitable and wonderful to work with, and the Albion crew have all been fantastic teachers. Camping at Lake Lopez has also been wonderful, and there is nothing quite like getting to talk archaeology under the stars at night.