Native American Public Archaeology under Trump?

 

Watching over the looters' shoulders: "A Digger Hit A Bascom Blade Cache, “4,000 Years,” Then More Blades Were Still In The Dirt". Much hilarity ensues as, with a soundtrack of empty-headed banter from camo-clad seniors, artefact hunters "uncover what looks like a few Bascom blades, but the hole keeps getting better every time they look closer. The count jumps from four to five, then six, then even more pieces appear packed into the same small spot. By the end, the group is staring at a 4,000-year-old cache that feels like the kind of find most artifact hunters never see once".The archaeological context is totally destroyed. "Bascom Blade" is a "collector-type" name and they are found by dumb selfish digging morons like these in the Georgia/North Florida area.

Somerset Hoard acquired for £78,000'

Steven Morris, 'Somerset detectorist strikes gold with ‘spectacular’ Roman ring find' Guardian Tue 2 Jun 2026 .

When Kevin Minto, a lorry driver, former soldier and keen metal detectorist, came upon something glinting in a Somerset field, he thought at first it was a coin – potentially quite interesting, probably not amazing. But the object turned out to be extraordinary: a gold Roman ring, unusually large and exquisitely crafted, set with a finely engraved gemstone depicting the goddess Victoria driving a two-horse chariot.[...] One of the boys I was with was screaming: ‘We’re rich, we’re rich.’”

They had returned to a productive site where coins had previously been found (not considered or reported as a hoard at the time, then left alone).

Minto first found Roman coins at the site near Ilminster in 2017. He kept returning and finding more coins scattered over a wide area, probably by ploughs. “The coins were all over the place,” he said. On another occasion he found a lead-lined coffin. Then in 2018, the ring was discovered. “The money was only paid out a couple of months ago, so it’s taken a long time,” he said. There was a complication, too, because the ring was found on the day of a military veterans’ detecting rally – and there was a dispute about who was entitled to the proceeds. “I’m glad it’s all finished now,” he said.

And that's as far as this reporter takes the story. It seems to me, reading between the lines there isa LOT more he could have done with it, questions to ask. But then dumbdown suits everybody better, the paper has a gap-filler feel-good (ordinary bloke strikes it lucky) story. Win-win as they say, why bother with details and perspective?

It's all very similar to the way these things are now always reported and done. It's just socially acceptable and now there seem to be fewer objections from within pro archaeology or the wider public with an interest in heritage (who now just seem to accept the news reports without question). Shame on the lot of you. 

Hat tip Dave Coward

"From a Private Collection" How Did it get to New York?

                     Sothebys New York .                  

Colección Mariano Moret @ColeccionMMoret [ Translated from Spanish]

"Despite having spent more than 25 years buying art in the international market and having seen it all, I still find myself amazed when I see pieces as absolutely exceptional as this Roman emperor torso from the Julio-Claudian period (1st century BC) coming from a private collection that @Sothebys will put up for auction next October with an estimated price of 8,000,000 – 12,000,000 USD. We will have to wait for the publication of the catalogue by the auction house to see if data are provided on the provenance of the work."

Russian Barrage on Civilian Targets Also Damages Kyiv's Historic Dormition Cathedral at the Lavra Monastery

Ukrainian  authorities confirm that Kyiv’s iconic Lavra Monastery was significantly damaged during a Russian drone and missile raid last night. Firefighting efforts to preserve the structure are ongoing. A massive Russian missile and drone attack hit Kyiv overnight into June 15, damaging homes and markets, and cut power to 140,000 residents. The Russians launched more than 60 missiles at civilian sites in the capital alone. In total, 70 missiles and 611 drones were used against Ukraine. While the strike wounded 13-20 people in the city, broader attacks killed at least four elsewhere, including Kharkiv rescuers.

The raid also sparked a fire at the Dormition Cathedral in the 1051-founded Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The roof of the Dormition Cathedral is reportedly ablaze. Clergy have been rescuing holy relics amid the chaos. Ukrainian leaders have called it a brutal assault on heritage and Christianity, one wonders what the world response will be. From the Horde in the 13th century to the Nazis and Bolsheviks in the 20th century, Kyiv’s sacred monasteries have suffered numerous barbaric attacks, now they are the target of Russian terrorists who have already linked crimes against cultural heritage to their attacks on Ukrainian cultural identity.

As per the famous twitter-meme:

Director-General of UNESCO, Khaled El-Enany has not issued an official, standalone quote or statement directly condemning Russia. Will he do it now?

Israel in Lebanon

 

Israeli forces have detonated the historic Shamaa Castle and the shrine of Shamoun al-Safa (St. Peter) in south Lebanon, destroying the UNESCO-protected sites alongside an airstrike on Froun. This follows local reports of multiple deaths in Haboush within the last hour.

The satle is under UNESCO protection

Excavation-Permit Flaunting Archaeologist Goes Free

Poland has released Russian archaeologist Alexander Butyagin who was due to be extradited to Ukraine to face charges of carrying out illegal excavations in occupied Crimea. He was arrested while travelling across Europe to give lectures on his work. Butyagin was exchanged at the Belarus–Poland border today in a "five for five" exchange. According to Russian officials, he was exchanged for two officers of Moldova’s special services the Russians had in captivity. Alongside Butyagin the wife of a Russian serviceman in Polish custody was exchanged. Other sources report that activist Andrzej Poczobut was also exchanged. As for Butyagin, he was facing charges of digging stuff out of a site without an excavation permit, and who gives a tinkers about them, eh? If we are not going to respect each others' cultural property legislation, Ukraine should suspend all permits for any current Polish excavations there. Including the controversial Volyn exhumations.

The Wheels of British "Justice" Once More Grind Slowly when Antiquities and the Establishment are Involved

"Great" Britian shows once again  what a load of tossers they are when it comes to chasing up antiquities crime (Craig Simpson 'Academic who exposed British Museum thefts 'annoyed to die before seeing justice' MSN 28/4/2026).

An expert who exposed the theft of hundreds of artefacts from the British Museum was “annoyed” to know he was dying without the case being resolved. The arts and heritage world was scandalised in 2023 when an arrest was made over items stolen from the museum’s collection and sold. There was outrage when it emerged that Dr Ittai Gradel, a Danish academic turned antiquities dealer who has died at 61 from cancer, had raised the alarm as early as 2021. The institution did not act on Dr Gradel’s warning that British Museum items were appearing on an online auction site.

Hat tip Dave Coward