European Heritage Days

It is interesting to see where the European Heritage Days events - a joint action of the Council of Europe and the European Commission - are taking place this month, and where the heritage is being promoted:

Map of heritage sites participating

Apparently most of England does not see itself very much as part of the European heritage zone, but look at Ireland (and then recall the differences in attitudes to the Collection Driven Exploitation of the archaeological record in both countries).  Poland, in the centre of Europe, is well-represented. France is a bit of an odd blank  on this map.

The aim of European Heritage Days is to:

- raise the awareness of European citizens to the richness and cultural diversity of Europe;
- create a climate in which the appreciation of the rich mosaic of European cultures is stimulated;
- counter racism and xenophobia and encourage greater tolerance in Europe and beyond the national borders;
- inform the public and the political authorities about the need to protect cultural heritage against new threats;
- invite Europe to respond to the social, political and economic challenges it faces.

Find out more at www.europeanheritagedays.com

 

Responsible Hoard Finder, There Are Some

Sunbeams   Early morning sunbeams and
  fog near Obrenovac in Serbia by aremac

Can you imagine this? Forester Bogusław Szwichtenberg found two pots with medieval silver coins in them last year and they were worth half a million, he handed them over (as the law requires) and was given a treasure reward, fifty thousand and the thanks of the Minister of Culture for his responsible behaviour in not taking the objects to a dealer, but handing them over to a museum. Of course this was not in the UK where Treasure hunters would not dream of accepting anything less than their market value - for otherwise they'd have no problems flogging the stuff off.  But the Polish leiter of the newly-formed "European Council for Metal Detecting" wants to bring British attitudes to the heritage to enrichen the honest detector users of Poland. I'll not wish them luck ('Znaleźli prawdziwe skarby, ale oddali je państwu' [in Polish]).