Friday, June 17, 2016

Being an expert doesn’t mean you have all the answers – or – “What a fisherman can teach an archaeologist.”

Researchers now believe that Roman troops used lead sling bullets drilled with small holes to create a sharp whistling noise to frighten their enemies (link to the full article here).

Previously archaeologists thought the holes were used to hold poison, but experiments revealed this to be an ineffective technique.

The insight into the purpose of these holes came from an unlikely source.

Archaeologist John Reid was discussing the problem of the sling bullet holes when his brother, an avid fisherman, suggested the holes would create a whistling noise in flight.  Reid, initially doubtful, soon realized his brother was on to something.

"I said, 'Don't be stupid; you've no idea what you're talking about. You're not an archaeologist,'" Reid joked. "And he said, 'No, but I'm a fisherman, and when I cast my line with lead weights that have got holes in them like that, they whistle.'"
"Suddenly, a light bulb came on in my head — that's what they're about. They're for making a noise," Reid said.

Archaeologists now believe that these sling bullets were used to intimidate and frighten in close quarter combat.

While this particular revelation is primarily of interest to Roman Archaeologists, we can all learn a lesson from Reid’s experience. Consider his position – he’s an expert, he’s spent his entire career thinking about history and archaeology. If anyone can figure out the purpose of these tiny holes it’s him. But all this knowledge, education, and years of experience failed to provide the answer that was obvious to his brother, the fisherman.

It’s easy to fall back to our comfort zone and rely on our experience and training. And for good reason – we put in all this hard work to get where we are. But we also risk missing something that seems clear and plain from another point of view. The key is to recognize when our experience simply isn’t enough.

Photo  - attribution - Creative Commons - By Peter van der Sluijs (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons