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I’ve read about archaeological discoveries : ”All of this was found with no excavation”. Would it be correct to say ”All of this was found without excavation”? What is the difference between ”with no” and ”without”? Thank you

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AussieInBg profile picture AussieInBgDecember 2024
The primary difference is that ”with no excavation” would be more commonly used in American English while ”without” would be more frequently seen in British English.

That being said, ”All of this was found with no/without excavation” would be very poor academic writing - especially given the archaeological context. It could mean that either someone had not previously dug at the site, be it other archaeologists or others trying to loot the site of artifacts, or it could mean that the site didn’t need excavation in order to describe the finds made.