Quote from a new book out (“Three Stones Make a Wall: The Story of Archaeology,” by Dr. Eric H. Cline):
This goes for the UK too, except they call it by another name, they call it 'metal detecting' (sic). This term is preferred to calling a spade a spade. Not calling it Collection-Driven Exploitation of the Archaeological Record, which is what it is, absolves everyone - archaeologists and academics too - from the onerous task of discussing what to do about it. I challenge my reader to find a SINGLE supporter of the Portable Antiquities Scheme (no matter whether they are in Bloomsbury at the time or not) who can explain any other reason why we do not call Collection Driven Exploitation of the Archaeological Record by a name which describeds more exactly what it is and what it is focussed on. Can you? I bet you will not.
So Cline's quote could be modified: "Right now we are seeing the greatest prevalence of collective shutting our eyes to collection-driven exploitation of archaeological sites that has ever been experienced". And that is something we should not, cannot, agree to.
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