Site grid vs. free wandering, the tape measure won in Colchester

Spent 3 weekends at a field site near Colchester and one day decided to just eyeball the sections instead of laying out proper grid lines. Found three sherds but zero context, spent hours trying to figure out where they came from. Went back with a 5m grid and string, mapped everything in an afternoon. Does anyone else stick to strict grids even on small test pits or am I just being extra?

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gonzalez.grant27d ago

Honestly this post just convinced me I've been doing it wrong. Used to think grids were overkill for small test pits, like why bother when you can just see everything. But yeah, the amount of time you lost trying to piece together context is exactly what I've dealt with before, and it's never worth it. The grid gives you a story, not just stuff, and that's the whole point. Might be a pain to set up but it saves you from those hours of second-guessing where a sherd actually sat.