Where the Wider Public Gets its History From These Days

 

The sheer volume of misleading or low-quality historical content on YouTube has long been a source of frustration—but the situation has deteriorated dramatically with the rise of AI-generated media. What was once a trickle of poorly-researched amateur content has become a flood of slick, algorithm-driven productions masquerading as educational material. Many of these videos are over an hour long, narrated with convincingly human-like synthetic voices, and assembled from scripts churned out by data-scraping algorithms that lack any meaningful sense of context, nuance, or scholarly rigor. They're often accompanied by AI-generated visuals that are not just inaccurate, but profoundly disorienting—depictions of historical scenes and figures that blend anachronisms, stereotypes, and outright fabrications into something resembling a digital hallucination.

What’s most troubling is not just the existence of this material, but the scale of its reach. Large platforms reward engagement, not accuracy, and these videos often outperform more carefully researched content in terms of views and visibility. In an era when critical thinking skills are increasingly undervalued or outright dismissed, the implications are deeply unsettling. If we continue to consume knowledge passively—favoring aesthetic appeal and emotional stimulation over accuracy and understanding—we risk creating a culture that is both misinformed and manipulable. At that point, the question is no longer just about bad history, but about whether we’re quietly surrendering the intellectual foundations of a free society in favor of a comforting but dangerous illusion.

When Influencers Meet Antiquity: "Mr Beast" Sparks Debate Over Access to Mexico's Sacred Sites

           Jimmy Donaldson - "MrBeast" (Msn)          

US YouTuber Jimmy Donaldson ("MrBeast"), has stirred controversy after publishing a video in which he visited some of Mexico’s most important archaeological sites including shots from restricted areas considered sacred to Mexico’s pre-Hispanic cultures (Isabel Dempsey, 'YouTuber MrBeast sparks outrage by filming at Mexico’s archaeological sites' independent 16 May 2025). The controversy stems from the unprecedented level of access granted to Donaldson and his team. In the video, which has already garnered over 60 million views since its release on May 10, the content creator is seen entering restricted areas of pre-Hispanic heritage sites, some of which are typically off-limits to the public—and even to professional archaeologists.

At one point in the footage, MrBeast exclaims, “I can’t believe the government is letting us do this. It’s truly crazy. Not even archaeologists are allowed in here”. Among the more contentious moments is what appears to be a drone shot taken from within the sacred structure of El Castillo at Chichén Itzá as well as footage suggesting a helicopter landing near a site and Donaldson handling what seems to be an ancient ceremonial mask.

In response, Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), which operates under the country’s Ministry of Culture, clarified that the visit was authorized through formal channels. According to their statement, all filming was carried out with official permission, and in collaboration with the Mexican Ministry of Tourism. It was later revealed that the request for access did not come directly from MrBeast but through federal tourism authorities.

Even President Claudia Sheinbaum weighed in on the matter, stating on May 14 that while a permit had indeed been granted for the filming, she had requested an internal review of the conditions under which it was issued. “If the terms were violated,” she said, “then the appropriate sanctions should be considered.”

To address specific claims, INAH has denied that any drone flew within protected structures, asserting instead that shots appearing to be taken from inside were likely achieved through post-production techniques. The organization also dismissed suggestions that MrBeast landed at the sites via helicopter or handled an authentic pre-Hispanic artifact, stating that the mask shown in the video was a modern replica.

Despite the uproar, INAH expressed hope that the video might serve a positive purpose: attracting younger audiences to the rich cultural and historical legacy of Mexico’s ancient civilizations. The video has reignited ongoing debates around heritage tourism, digital media, and the ethics of influencer access to cultural patrimony for commercial purposes. "MrBeast" has yet to comment publicly.

Treasure finds in London hit record high

The latest figures from the Ministry of Justice show there were 29 treasure finds declared to coroners in 2024 in London (Adam Care, ' Treasure finds in London hit record high' Barnet Post 17 May, 2025) The reporter is excited that across England and Wales, the number of suspected treasure finds last year has reached a new all-time high of 1,363 and the number of treasure finds reported in London has hit a record high, new figures show. The latest figures from the Ministry of Justice show there were 29 treasure finds declared to coroners in 2024 in London. This was more than the year before, when there were five. The figures also show across England and Wales there were 500 inquests concluded into finds by coroners. Of these, 98% (491) returned a conclusion of treasure, an increase from 96% in 2023

But Keith Westcott, founder of the Detectorists Institute and Foundation, which represents metal detectorists across the UK, warned caring for historical items “places a significant financial burden on museums and local heritage bodies”, while funding for conservation is “regrettably, in decline”. He said: “If we are to ensure that culturally important finds [...] not only reported but meaningfully preserved and studied, urgent attention must be given to supporting the institutions that care for them. “Detectorists are increasingly aware of their role in stewardship—a principle the DIF actively promotes through education and the development of professional standards—but this must be matched by national support for the heritage infrastructure that underpins responsible discovery.”

'Detectorists are increasingly aware of their role in stewardship' - 'Is that all of them Mr Westcott, or a minority, it'd be nice if you could be more specific. Of course museums need more funding nationally, but a lot of that money tends to come from regional budgets. It would be a great saving if the money for looking after the things dug up by hobbyist explorers went towards the cnservation and preservaton of the finds. Artefact hunters say they are not despoiling the archaeological record, but ":preserving the past", but perhaps their role in that cannot be considered completed the moment they habnd it over to somebody else to look after.

Hat tip Dave Coward.

No treasure finds reported in North Central London

Adam Care, 'No treasure finds reported in North Central London'  MSN 14 May 2025. 

Mr Care seems to have hit on a winning formula for news 'gap fillers' it's the same article with just a few words changed.

The latest figures from the Ministry of Justice show there were no treasure finds declared to coroners in 2024 in North Central London. There were also none the year before.

He gets the definition of Treasure wrong though.

No treasure finds reported in South London

There were no treasure finds reported in South London last year, new figures show (Adam Care, 'No treasure finds reported in South London'  MSN 14 May 2025)

The latest figures from the Ministry of Justice show there were no treasure finds declared to coroners in 2024 in South London. There was one the year before.

Shock-horror. And in Bromley, Sonja Tutty, writes ' No treasure discoveries in South London since 2018', London World 16th May 2023,

Detectorists in South London have not reported any treasure discoveries since 2018, new figures show – despite a national increase. Figures from the Ministry of Justice show one treasure find was reported to South London Coroner's Court, which is responsible for holding treasure inquests, in 2018. It is the only recorded discovery in the area in the past decade.

This is despite a national increase in finds in recent years. Across England and Wales, 2022 saw a 20% increase in treasure finds on the year before with 1,087 reported to coroners. It is the highest number of discoveries since records began in 1997.

In London, four treasure finds were reported to coroners' courts last year.[...]
The Ministry of Justice said the number of treasure finds reported steadily increased from 1997 when the Treasure Act was introduced, up to 2017. But since 2018 the number has been "more volatile" and was impacted by Covid-19 restrictions in recent years.

It added: "There has been a big surge in metal detecting activity during (and also since) the pandemic.

There is then something more on the increase in finds:

Keith Westcott, founder of the Institute of Detectorists, said: "It was definitely the lockdown periods that brought the idea and interest of metal detecting to a lot of people who were sat at home, all day indoors thinking of what would give them a reason to get outdoors."

However, Mr Westcott added the growing interest in detecting must also be met with awareness of the hobby's requirements and responsibilities

"Probably as little as 10% of what's found is recorded, so a dramatic improvement in that is needed if interest continues to grow," he said..

"People see these finds as objects of interest, but in reality it is part of an archeologic record of the area it was found in. So there has to be an understanding of the context around whatever is found." 

Such vopices in British metal detecting are rare - despite what starry-eyed supportive arkies will tell you.

hat tip Dave Coward

Looting Hits Anundshög Sweden's Largest Burial Site

Photo: Västerås stad

In Sweden, 'Looting Hits Sweden's Largest Burial Site Anundshög'  (Sweden Herald 7th May 2025). The site at Anundshög, Sweden's largest ancient burial site, has been subjected to a severe bout of grave looting. The police have now set up a criminal investigation and determined that about fifty pits have been dug in the hill. The looting was discovered when an archaeologist who was also a teacher took a school party to see the site  as part of a lesson.

The looting occurred on the evening of May 5th or early morning the next day. It seems that an artefact hunter went over the site with a metal detector and where the detector has given a signal, they have dug with a spade, lifted away a turf, found an object and taken it with them. The looters had probably taken iron objects with them since there are traces of rust and corrosion in the soil. But what they have taken with them exactly, we do not know and we will probably not be able to find out – it is just gone. The site has not been excavated archaeologically yet, so the objects that have been removed could have provided vital information about the Viking Age and Bronze Age. This one action in just a few hours had destroyed something that had been lying here for thousands of years. Who the looters were is unclear – but they have tried to leave as few traces as possible by putting back the turfs. The incident has been reported to the County Administrative Board, which has conducted an inspection. The police also rushed to the cultural heritage site and began door-to-door questioning in the area to gather more information.

Culture Minister Parisa Liljestrand on her social media that the event makes her "damn furious". "This is not just theft: this is a downright despicable vandalism of our common cultural heritage", she adds.

European Dilemma: Awkward When you Find Stuff you can't just Slip in Your Pocket

 

Marius Mangeac and the coins (photo Marius Mangeac via Facebook)

Why would you "stumble across" a hoard of Treasure when ?going for a walk"? When you live in an EU  country that requires you to have a permit to go looking for archaeological artefacts with a metal detector (Andrea Margolis, 'Man stumbles across hoard of priceless coins while out for nature walk: 'Face to face with history' Fox News May 11, 2025)

An ordinary spring day quickly became extraordinary after a nature-loving metal detectorist unearthed a cache of ancient treasure. Marius Mangeac confirmed the discovery to Fox News Digital. He said he found the hoard in a field near Letca Veche, a small village in southern Romania. In a Facebook group, Mangeac said that he found the coins "on a beautiful Saturday that didn't foreshadow anything of what was to come." "I took my detector and went out alone, as I often do, for exercise and to relax in the fields and forests," he wrote in his post, which was translated from Romanian to English. "I didn't think this day would surprise me and bring me face to face with history." But suddenly his metal detector began beeping – and soon, Mangeac was looking at a hoard of 1,469 Roman coins. [...] After two strenuous days of photographing the coins, he handed them over to the town hall in Letca Nouă.

There is no mention one way or another of any search permit or the fate of any previous objects he might have found  while on a nature walk when he "just happened" (as one does) to take his metal detector with him without applying for any permit for the search first.