Tamworth Lead Coffin, the Next Indignity

The occupant of the lead coffin found by metal detectorists and dug up for their entertainment two weeks ago ("Focus on Metal Detecting: Leave it Alone", Thursday, 24 October 2013) is about to be treated with more disrespect for the dead (Helen Machin, "Name the Roman child found near Tamworth" Tamworth Herald Saturday, November 09, 2013).

As archaeologists prepare to open a child’s coffin believed to be 1600 years old, residents are being asked to select a name for the child [...] as a mark of respect, Archaeology Warwickshire want to give the find a name and have come up with a list of Roman names: Oriens (rise – as the sun); Loquor (tell - declare), Aperio (reveal); Addo (inspire); Accendo (illuminate) or Parvulus (infant) [...] Anyone interested can vote in the poll on the Warwickshire News site

Archaeology as reality TV now, voting to see who or what is most popular among the punters. Adopt a skellie. Name that Corpse. This is absolutely disreputable and trivialising treatment by the archaeologists ["University of York InterArchive – Archaeology project"]. How do they know the person (yes, it is a person) in the coffin had a Latin name? Are they not posthumously imposing their own cultural stereotypes on this individual, all for the unprofessional  bread-and-circuses public entertainment and enjoyment? Are any of those suggested names actually epigraphically attested for this region (or any region) of Late Roman Britain?

What next, will they be giving the tattooed Maori  heads in the local museum fanciful names "Manuel-clouds-in-my-eyes", "puffy-nose", "Hawkeye Harry"? If the local curators had such an idea I hope there'd be a public outcry, why should another body be treated differently? Where is their respect?

I suppose we should be grateful that in this dumb-down unprofessionalism the public will not be asked to vote on "Tammy" (from the findspot) "Chrissy" (from the finder) or "Skully" (as in another recent case of metal detectorist grave-hoiking). I still think this is very wrong.

The deep-hoiking finder, Chris Wright, however is very excited about being invited to be entertained by the opening (Postby bangbustours, "Re: Somewhere over the rainbow... Roman lead coffin", Fri Nov 08, 2013):

I get to go on monday! Will be taking my sandwiches as they expect it will take 2 hours just to get the lid off!

Consuming sandwiches as you handle ancient and corroded lead is not exactly the brightest idea in the world.

Vignette: These are human remains, not a plaything, the subject of another dumb-down public entertainment stunt. A little more respect and professionalism is called for here.