The Portable Antiquities Scam

This was ten years ago in a TAG session called 'CRITICAL APPROACHES TO ARTEFACTS'. Nothing much has changed since then, the public is still being scammed athat artefact hunting is in some way a good thing for archaeology and the archaeological record.

The Portable Antiquities Scam 

Paul Barford (Warsaw, Poland) 

By means of the Portable Antiquities Scheme the private exploitation of archaeological sites by artefact hunters and the personal collecting of archaeological artefacts is encouraged in the guise of “archaeological outreach” to the British public. During its seven years operation, the Scheme has largely concentrated on making contacts with the metal detecting fraternity and “recording” their finds in order to increase the size of its “database” (which it seems to regard as its main raison d’etre). Despite its active ‘propaganda of success’, it must be admitted that the Scheme’s achievements have fallen short of potential, both in terms of numbers of artefact hunters reached, but especially in terms of actual “archaeological outreach” to them. Liaison is superficial and fragile and - despite great effort and expenditure - in real terms seems to have achieved little. PAS has furthermore been primarily focussed on the artefactological aspects of its work rather than nurturing any form of more generally archaeological approach or encouraging discussion of heritage management issues. The artefactological focus seems also to be a major component of the ‘theoretical background’ of the Scheme. The operation of the PAS has merely resulted in a confirmation of the ‘stamp collecting’ approach within the artefact hunting fraternity, isolated from any wider archaeological or conservation concerns. Liaison however goes both ways, the focus of one of the better funded archaeological schemes in the country today is not without influence on the profession itself but in particular on the perceptions of archaeology of its broader public audience.

 

Mr. Jorrocks' Hunt

 

Metal Detectorist Arrested in Greece

The seized artefacts (Greek Reporter)

Antiquity looting and smuggling are a pervasive problem in Greece, the Greek police make dozens of arrests per year in connection with the trade. Greek police announced the arrest on Monday of a 72-year-old Greek man accused of violation of cultural heritage law, possession of illegal weapons, as well as embezzlement. The 72-year-old man had reportedly been involved in similar activity in the past.

Investigation of the man’s home in a village near the city of Alexandria in northern Greece revealed 1,061 ancient copper coins. Most date from the Hellenistic period – the third to first centuries BC – the Byzantine period – 330 AD to 1453 AD – and the Ottoman period – the 15th to the 19th centuries AD. Police said that the coins were seized on Sunday, along with 30 silver coins dating to the same periods, 16 copper rings, as well as precious jewels of the Byzantine and post-Byzantine eras. Police also found an assault rifle, seven pistols of various calibers, six handguns, two hunting rifles, 15 metal detectors [...] . 

The photo accompanying the article shows a heap of uncleaned coins which were either in his own personal collection or were destined for the market, and artefacts among which is something which looks like aqn radiate headed fibula. One of the objects however, while it may be 'Byzantine', I suppose looks awfully like the sort of things that come out of the SE Baltic/ NW Russian regions. Is this collection a mixture of locally found and imported artefacts? Only closer analysis can tell.

Nikoleta Kalmouki, 'Greek Man Arrested for Illegal Possession of Ancient Coins' Greek reporter Sep 30, 2014. 

 The Ridgway

A mere one thousand years ago,
King Alfred marched this crest of chalk
To fight the Danish foe,
And strained to see that very lark.
In this same Saxon blue.

Just two thousand years ago,
The feet of Rome stamped here and here
Upon this bouncing turf,
And glittering, ravenous conqueror’s eyes
Devoured these seemly, gentle hills.

From here, four thousand years ago,
The men of Bronze surveyed their works
Through eyes as wide as mine,
As wondrous Silbury, virgin white,
Bedazzled in it’s prime.

And here, six thousand years ago
Gazed Neolithic eyes
On wonders older still:
On tombs of Kennet, Avebury Henge
And ancient, ancient Windmill Hill.

Now they are gone, those mighty men,
Those Lords of all they saw,
And only I am left to walk
This high and winding lonely lane,
Whilst all around, on deep-etched hills,
Their proud, immortal marks remain.

What voice commands, what power compels
That such as they should go?
It is the same insistent call
As whispers in my ear:
There is a time for mortal men,
You may not linger here.

Perhaps, like mine, their spirits soared,
Above this magic land,
Perhaps they both rejoiced and cried
At beauty unconfined,
Perhaps this final earthly view
Blazed in dying eyes.

Perhaps that spark has never died,
And essences remain.
For see that joyous soaring lark
And hear it’s blissful cries.
It could not be more free than I,
Nor joyful nor fulfilled:
Perhaps no power, no time, no death
Can take me from these hills.

Detectorists’ Personal Sites

This list of "Detectorists’ Personal Sites" comes from the "Links" section of the UKDFD alongside their intelligence-insulting "Metal Detecting - The Hobby and its Detractors". The site seems to have been neglected and most of these links no longer work (and the "Widget" one seems to be infected with something - click at your own risk) 

• Bazza's Site
• Bob Bailey's Metal Detecting Site
• Ceejay's Metal Detecting Pages
• Detego Metal Detecting
• Venicone's Site
• Dino's Site
• Widget's Site
• Dean's Site

So why is it that in 2005 it was fashionable for detectorists to make websites showing what they had found, and today it is no longer so attractive a proposition? Are these people ashamed of what they are doing?

BBC: Metal detecting 'helping to preserve Britain's history'

I mentioned this the other day, now somebody has sent me a link (sadly not embeddable) to the BBC's Jenny Hill reporting (video).

"Metal detecting used to be seen as a slightly eccentric pastime but high-profile discoveries of long-lost treasure are giving it a new image. The amateur archaeologists are gaining respect as they are credited with playing an increasingly important role in helping us learn about the UK's past".

Well, how they are actually depicted as doing so is by emptying the archaeolocial record of its artefacts, and even getting their kids along to help. In the programme is featured Frank Andrusyk of the Central Yorkshire Metal Detecting Club (NB, no mention of the Code of Practice). There is mention of the Staffordshire Hoard (de rigeur these days), "a high profile discovery which boosted interest in the pastime". There is mention of an "official database' amateur archaeologists' finds can be recorded on - with 90 000 added last year - but nowhere do we learn its name, the bloke that represents it in the film is given the label "British Museum". So we see the mess on Michael Lewis' desk in the BM (and the national flag in the corner) as he gives a few glib soundbites about how metal detectorists are "not in it for the money". You may notice Bloomsbury Pete the heritage conscious pigeon in the background trying to listen in at the window so he can do the PAS' outreach for it next time a question too difficult for them to answer is asked (so that's about most questions innit?).

Apparently "a lot of people that go out metal detecting have a real genuine interest in the past" which somehow for the "British Museum" makes it all OK I guess. [People who shoot deer in the forests in Poland near me also say they are really interested in 'looking after' the deer, which is why they put out water troughs for them just in front of their hides, and when they come to drink... It's all legal].

Cut back to Frank-with-a-Slavic-Surname up in Yorkshire who explains that

"the people who just walk away with the items, it's such a shame, just such a shame. The true meaning of the metal detecting, from an 'istorical perspective is the, erm.. looking and searching for the information that those items contain".

At the end of the film the journalist stresses "for them its not about the monetary value of the find, the real treasure that lies beneath the earth here is what it can tell them about the past".

Well, I think we are not really much further on in the debate than in the mid 1970s when metal detector owners insisted on people stop using the term "Treasure hunters" and call them "metal detectorists", far more anorakish ("Metal detecting ... slightly eccentric pastime. - deliberate camoflage you see? They do not like it when you call a spade a spade and refer to them as "artefact hunters"). So now they apparently want us to call them "amateur archaeologists". Both the BBC and the British Museum jumble-desk-guy keep trying to convince us they are "not in it for the money" (now what was it that Terry Herbert the finder of the Staffordshire Hoards featured in the film told us he used to say when out detecting? Remind us please Mr Lewis)

Secondly we are not getting anywhere near getting that idea across about archaeological context are we? There is this database you see, and lots of finds get put on it. But the "find" is not the point of the database, EBay's got lots of finds on it. The database is there to make a permanent record of findspots of items that get - as Frank says "taken away, such a shame, such a shame". But Frank's appearance here is less than stellar as archaeological outreach ... what does he say? He says what is lost when things are taken away (from sites he's interested in?) is NOT the findspot information at all, but "the information that those items contain". In other words, he sees archaeological finds no differently from the US heaps-of-coins-don't-care-where-they-come-from-as-long-as-they-are-on-my-table collectors who claim to be able to write all of human history from fondling a pile of ancient pictured discs of metal. So-called "metal detecting" is of course exactly the same kind of collecting, except these collectors hoik their own collectables from the soil and discard what they do not want, while the coineys across the Atlantic pay somebody else to do it (and pay somebody else to break the law to get it to them if necessary). When it comes down to it, and no matter what people in the PAS or anywhere else in Bloomsbury say, the two are manifestations of exactly the same hobby, all part of the same problem.

Not that the BBC would notice. But - and here's the question Heritage Action asked - who is telling them otherwise?

Antiquities Seized in Spanish Raid

A 24 year old man has been arrested by the Spanish Civil Guard in an operation  in which more than 2,000 archaeological objects (Iberian and Roman objects and coins as well as prehistoric stone mills) have been seized ('Recuperan más de 2.000 piezas arqueológicas en la Sierra de Chiva', Laredcomarcal.com, 14.11.2013). 

The confiscated items allegedly came from illegal diggings of sites aided by the use of a metal detector in the Sierra de Chiva (Valencia) which the man reportedly undertook, sometimes with the help of his father. The men,  residents of Gestalgar, allegedly travelled by motorcycle by night or at weekends to about 60 sites throughout the Sierra de Chiva (beginning in 2010) and did damage to them, the repairing of which was estimated to cost 120,000 euros. The sites visited were mainly in mountainous regions of Gestalgar, Bugarra, Pedralba and Chiva.  This operation (codename Sertorius) is the biggest action of  the Civil Guard in the province of Valencia against plundering of archaeological sites since 2001.  The man and his father are accused of crimes against property and damage to archaeological sites and were arrested on Monday. In the seizures marijuana was also found in the home of the man's brother. In their statement to the agents, the defendants have indicated that their purpose was not to sell the items but wanted to collect them and donate them to the City of Gestalgar.

 Vignettes: Some of the objects seized.

Why Another Metal Detecting Blog?

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In recent months there has been an increased interest in discussing artefact hunting issues. The author of the Portable Antiquities Collecting and Heritage Issues Blog which has become a bit of an informal focus for views dissenting from the official line in the UK has several times been asked whether he would accept guest posts from people who felt constrained to write something on the issues connected with metal detecting, but were busy in other walks of life and did not want the bother of running their own blog. While appreciating the value of the idea and the gesture of support, for several reasons I did not feel this was what I wanted to do. I therefore decided to set up a separate blog, for guest contributions. I have contacted those who wanted to write something on the PACHI blog with an invitation to add them to the list of contributors. So far Brian (who tells me he is an architect from Shrewsbury, UK) and Nigel Swift of Heritage Action (needs no introduction to readers of their excellent blog) have been the first to agree to take part in the experiment, I am hoping to hear from the others in due course. Anyone who wishes to participate and feels they are eligible (see the next post) is invited to contact the owner (Paul Barford) either by email or through the comments section here or the PACHI blog [in the latter eventuality, please indicate whether the comment is intended for publication or not].

There are many, many websites, forums, discussion lists to discuss artefact hunting and metal detecting. Most of them are run by metal detectorists for metal detectorists. That is not what this blog is for. The hope here is that the authors of this blog will look a little more deeply below the façade that artefact hunting and collecting have created at the fundamental issues concerning its effect on the preservation of the archaeological record. Each poster is requested to put their name at the bottom of their post.

[by Paul Barford]