Digging Up The Past in Jersey

           Perry Mesney, FLO

The 2022 Festival of Archaeology tales place from 16-31 July and this year the theme is "Journeys". But one of the events is nothing to do with that.

Have a go at metal detecting!
Let the finders of Jersey’s Le Catillon II hoard give you a hands-on experience of metal detecting. The Jersey Heritage Finds Liaison Officer will be there to explain the rules and regulations with regard to metal detecting in Jersey.
Categories: Archaeology skills , Family fun

They can't be bothered to use one of their own photos, the one on the archaeology.org website is pinched from the 2017 Mary Shepperson Guardian article that, sadly the advert makes no mention of, because it is precisely about the relationship between artefact hunting and archaeology. Wouldn't want to confuse the public would they?

Why would the Jersey Heritage Finds Liaison Officer (a runologist) be at a "Try treasure hunting out" event "to explain the rules and regulations with regard to metal detecting in Jersey". That's not a Festival of Archaeology unless he's there to explain why hoiking artefacts out of the archaeological record, whether you record an "x-marks the spot" findspot or not, is damaging that context and is not archaeology. 

How many participants will the CBA's parallel festival events of 'rural churchyard gravestone defacing', 'historic hedgerow grubbing', 'freestyle castle wall climbing', 'megalith toppling' or any of the other events giving the public 'contact with the past'? Bonkers.