Archaeology SOLD OUT: Lincolnshire "Celebrates" Pilfering of Archaeological record by Private Collectors and the Antiquities Trade

Bonkers Britain goes la-la over artefact collecting:

 "Oh look, everyone, they've used our coin on the poster!!", that's like the art-market speak "Some exceptionally fine twisted glass decorative rods used during the production of Anglo-Saxon vessel glass"  and all the rest of the artefact-drool PAS-supporter archaeologists come out with in public. Artefact porn is not archaeology. Uncritically presenting collected material as archaeological evidence is not any kind of archaeological outreach, it is archaeology exploiting collectors in the same way as collectors are exploiting the archaeological record archaeologists should be striving to protect. But you try to get British archaeologists discussing the issue and all you will meet is emptiness, superficiality and dragging it down to the personal level. Just like their metal detector using partners and protégées. Bonkers.

I do not suppose for a minute that the point behind my tweeted response to this will be grasped and will probably attract more dismissal than be discussed by archaeologists who are more concerned to be the recipient of effort-free goodies on their desks than debate what archaeology is:

Paul Barford ‏@PortantIssues 20 min.20 minut temu

@Hugh_Willmott @ajdaubney @findsorguk Would 'The Collections' do session "Celebrating private collecting, metal detectorists as collectors?"

My postulate is that artefact porn is not what archaeology is. I offer the comments box below for anyone who thinks otherwise, and here there is no 140-character excuse for not presenting the case properly. I rather think the real constraints are of another nature, but let us see...   British archaeologists celebrating private collection, the floor is yours (or write on your own blogs and post here a link).