What can abandoned villages tell us about medieval life?
probably a lot more if the patterns of artefacts often just under the surface have not been decimated by repeated and unsystematic metal detecting by hobbyist collectors walking off with random bits of the evidence. No amount of ten-figure NGR recording of a selection of the things removed from the ground with the PAS can fill in the information holes. This is simply knowledge theft. A commercial rally was held on a site just like this at Lenborough. Not only did the archaeological establishment not protest the choice, part of it (the PAS) went along to help hoik out the artefacts willy nilly. Shame on the lot of you.
5 comments:
It ought to be pointed out that deserted medieval villages are targets of maximum desire in metal detecting..... which confirms the grim reality of an unregulated system: where there's most for society to lose most will be lost.
And yes, it also has to be pointed out that it is Heritage Action that is making this point, not Historic(sic) England, the Portable Antiquities Scheme or the bulk of the British archaeological establishment that are pointing this out. Can anyone fathom out why?
Perhaps no-one wants to rock HMS Mistake?
"And yes, it also has to be pointed out that it is Heritage Action that is making this point, not Historic(sic) England, the Portable Antiquities Scheme or the bulk of the British archaeological establishment that are pointing this out. Can anyone fathom out why?"
Because they just don't care about it.
Yes I suspect you are right, pathetic jobsworths the lot of them. But 'not caring' is not what their codes of ethics say....
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