In the post above I discuss a new photo that has appeared unannounced in the public domain, actually quite a shocking photo. It shows why the PAS record refers to the helmet as having been "folded" (the word I would use is "crushed") when in the ground. This description did not at all tally with the photos on the PAS website showing the object before "restoration". Now we see why, the photos on the PAS database show the object half way through restoration (and I am deliberately using the word restoration as opposed to conservation). The new picture however is very blurry and shows only one side of the object, which is hardly an adequate record of the complex three-dimensional form of the object resulting from some past process before or at the time of deposition. If that is the only photo we have of the state of the object, we have lost important information about those processes which would aid interpreting its deposition. The state of the object upon excavation should have been fully documented before any treatment altering its state was undertaken (indeed should be the basis of the conservation programme which is developed).Also let us note the presence in the photo of an additional piece of metal not accounted for in the current reconstruction, though presumably included in the original find. Where is it now?
More importantly, I'd be very interested to hear from any archaeological conservators here who on receiving a corroded metal object ostensibly excavated from the wet soil of the Pennines and distorted to this degree would undertake to reshape it to the degree we see here. I have already drawn attention to the nature of the corrosion of the metal objects from the vicinity of Crosby Garrett as seen on the metal detected objects depicted in the PAS database. I would say that not a single one of the ones I saw would be amenable to 'straightening out' without cracking. This is not what one does with archaeological metalwork, certainly not lightly or in a hurry. Looking at the photo, it seems that in any case in order to do any such reshaping, annealing might be necessary, were any metallurgical analyses undertaken before this? (any metallographic structures of interest, including detailing manufacturing processes will be lost on annealing).
This new photograph is an additional indication that in the process of digging it up and haste to get it in the salesroom, we have lost a vast amount of information about this exceptional find.
Vignette: Shaping a tin can ('Skull' by 'Noah') is relatively simple, but what if it was one corroded from lying in the British soil for two thousand years?
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3 comments:
Your sour grapes are unbecoming, and actually quite embarassing. This seems to be a phenomenon shared by many British today, which is a shame. Its as if you are attempting to forget the past, and they who forget the past are most assuredly condemned to repeat it. Ad nauseum. The mask of Mithra (Crosby Garret) is the art find of the century. Do not defile it even in your mind, for Mithra is powerful and does not forget. The inability of the people in England to see what has really happened here, and why, is an awesome revelation. And the inability of your government to make arrangements to procure this great national Art Treasure is criminal. This says a lot about the overall mind set there: give us gold and silver because we have much more important things to worry about, and to hell with all the artsy fartsy stuff. Which of course translates into: to hell with the most important resource, the PEOPLE, who are just a hindrance and a circus audience and a tax machine. There are many of us here in the States who are very much amused over this whole thing, because it proves what we have said all along: for all the airs put on by the so-called cultured citizens of the United Kingdumb, they would not know real value if it punched them in their snouts. The loss of Babbages initiative, way back when, was your kingdumbs greatest loss, the Cumbrian Helmet of Mithra is just another incidence of this age old trend afterall, albeit much...LOUDER...because of all the fanfare and press....the world is seeing a lot these days, and thats a nice thing.....http://www.youtube.com/luxefaire
Cliche alert: "Its as if you are attempting to forget the past, and they who forget the past are most assuredly condemned to repeat it. Ad nauseum". What? This blog is about "forgetting the past"? Really?
This comment only got posted because of the curiosity value of: "The mask of MITHRA (Crosby Garret) is the art find of the century. Do not defile it even in your mind, for MITHRA is powerful and does not forget. The inability of the people in England to see what has really happened here, and why, is an awesome revelation. "
The Mighty Lord Mithra [Mithras?] manifest in a cellulose putty gapfilled reconstruction of a box of old bits?
Well, quite obviously if you are right, this is the second time the British have failed to recognise your Mighty Lord Mithra[s] because if the BM dating of the object is correct he manifested himself there before Mithraism spread in the northwestern Empire, and the Brits refused to acknowledge Him, stomped on Him, crushed Him and shoved Him in a hole in the ground. Now He has been released from this muddy spelaeum, He will now no doubt be releasing his wrath on the people who thus defiled him "in their minds" who so demonstratively turned away from Him, the endtimes are nigh, repent, repent.
"There are many of us here in the States who are very much amused over this whole thing, because it proves what we have said all along: for all the airs put on by the so-called cultured citizens of the United Kingdumb, they would not know real value if it punched them in their snouts." Not like the Americans (who have 'noses' and not 'snouts', and no "dumb" King)eh?
Here's a discussion of a message by cultural Americans for cultural Americans: http://paul-barford.blogspot.com/2010/11/archaeologys-gift.html
PS. Just because the helmet has a funny hat, it does not make it a depiction of either Mithra nor Mithras.
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