phoenix845•2mo agoMost Upvoted

We almost wrecked a 2,000-year-old Roman floor in Pompeii because my boss said 'just brush it off'

I was on a dig in Pompeii last fall and my crew chief told us to use stiff brooms on a mosaic, but I saw the tesserae starting to loosen, so I called a halt and got the site director, who confirmed we were about to destroy a section. Anyone else had to push back against a bad call in the field?

3 comments

3 Comments

robinl902mo ago

My old foreman once tried to power-wash a fresco in Herculaneum.

anthony1652mo ago

Honestly that's terrifying, good on you for speaking up.

wendysmith1mo ago

Glad you trusted your gut and stopped them, that's a nightmare scenario. I can't believe someone would even think to use a stiff broom, that's like @robinl90's power-wash story all over again. The pressure to just follow orders on site must be huge, but you saved a piece of history.