Transparency International's latest index shows the clear difference in the level of corruption in most of the more prevalent source countries for antiquities and the exploitative countries where the most voracious markets are. This shows the degree to which the antiquities trade flourishes and takes advantage of societal inbalance and the exploitation of the weakest.
Does the main argument of the original essay apply to US [or any other] archaeology too? (not so much the digging up of ever-more new "discoveries", but the way enquiry is framed, conducted and presented)
Vignette: Archaeology as "Discovery"
Found with a metal detector in a farmer's field. This field was inhabited by people during the Viking Age of the 9th century. Found in the ground as a complex - a treasure trove of jewelry. Item from a private collection. Material: silver, Weight: 11.32 grams, There are no defects or cracks.ah, so you can wear it. If it weren't so damn ugly. It is a crap piece of casting. The outlinesa are blurred and 'soapy', there seems no understanding of the manufactureer of the motif, the interlace is very poorly done, the piece is 'as cast', has not been fettled. In my opinion, looking like that, this is not an ancient piece. "Foud in the ground as a treasdure trove (sic) of jewelry (sic)", in which country, even? A total lack of details which is highly suspicious. This item however was "found by a metal detector in Ukraine", and under the description of a "Viking Belt 9-12 century" is a photo of a diorama of early medieval Kyiv from the Historical museum in Kyiv. And lo and behold, the seller admits under some auctions (here, here [looks like brass to me], and here) that he is (also?) based in "Kiev" [disrespectful RUSSIAN spelling of the name of the Ukrainian capital].
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| Charles Edwin Puckett (fair use for critique) |
Viking Omega Brooch c 8th - 10th century ADHere the old adage about never trusting an antiquities dealer further than you can throw one is well seen when you look up what Hattatt's fig 1688 actually looks like. NOT AT ALL like the series of brooches this comes from. Don't be a chump like Mr Puckett, read (Ásfríðr Úlfvíðardóttir 2012, 'The Mysterious “Omega” Brooches'). This is all true, so it is extremely unlikely that a piece of post-mdedieval jewellery found its way from a community 500km ESE of Moscow to an ealy medieval hoard near either of the Ladogas, 600 km to the NW of Moscow. Complete nonsense. The text in red about sprung bow fibulae of teh Roman period is totally empty-headed padding and has sod all to do with a penannular brooch.
Bronze Fibula - VIKING Omega Brooch - Circa 8th-10th Century AD
(61 mm in Length – 2 3/8”)
A very fine Viking bronze “Omega “brooch (so called because of its resemblance to the Greek letter), embellished with a “dot and line” pattern. Remnants of the original silvering are visible. In excellent condition with a nice green patina and complete with the fastening pin. A similar brooch found in Norfolk, Great Britain is illustrated in Hattatt “Ancient Brooches,” figure 1688.
This wonderful Viking Age bronze brooch originated from Staraia Ladoga - Aldeigjuborg. On their journeys east, Viking ships sailed into the Gulf of Finland and up the river Neva to the huge Lake Ladoga and on to the mouth of the river Volkhov. Some kilometers up this river is the settlement Aldeigjuborg, known today as Staraia (Old) Ladoga. Finds from this area indicate a Scandinavian presence from as early as 750 AD. From an old Scandinavian collection, found as part of a hoard.
The fibula was in widespread use throughout the ancient world. Roman conquests spread the use of the fibula, which became the basis for more complicated brooches. In the severe climate of northern Europe, it routinely functioned as a fastening for a heavy cloak or tunic. The safety-pin type of fibula continued to be used up into the Middle Ages, serving both as decorative and functional elements.
Inventory# PA-3144
All items are authentic and original as described - we do not sell reproductions. Each item is fully documented and in good antiquarian condition unless otherwise stated.
This event is a special virtual roundtable co-organized by Critical Ancient World Studies and Everyday Orientalism. It consists of a discussion about the destruction of heritage and its relationship with cultural genocide, and addresses the role that scholars of antiquity, archaeology and heritage should play in opposing the genocide and epistemicide of the Palestinian people, and how they can best stand in solidarity with them against the occupation.Below the announcement are thought-provoking and helpful lists of 'Relevant resources and references', including 'Selected references on Gaza’s archaeological heritage', 'Recent publications on Palestine by critical Antiquity scholars'. Take a look.
. This is typical of the woolly thinking that in Britain is applied to anything connected with artefact hunting. Detectorists are people who go artefact hunting using a specific tool that is called a (Mr Simpson, you taking motes?) "metal detector". Those who do not use a metal detector but a socking big magnet are, funnily enough, not called "detectorists". Funny that. Anyhow:experts are determined to persuade those seeking treasure to stop using the increasingly popular technique of “fishing” for artefacts in waterways using powerful magnets. They say the risks of the method include blowing up unexploded ordnance, and damaging artefacts. The warning from the PAS comes after a Viking sword was damaged while being pulled out of the River Wallers Haven in Suffolk. The remains of the hilt fell off and were lost in the river.
The scheme experts wrote: “‘Fishing’ for metal objects with powerful magnets in lakes and waterways has become increasingly popular. However, there are many risks involved, including finding unexploded ordnance and possibly drowning. “There is also the risk of damage to the object and its archaeological context, particularly at sites of ritual deposition. The PAS advises against this activity, which is banned by the Canal and River Trust on its waterways.” The method also erases important archaeological context which offers clues as to the meaning of objects, and what they were used for. ”
The starting bid is US $124.95, but the seller says it is appraised as being worth $3400. Wow, eh? I really do not see that, it's a completely bonkers claim, there are no coherent traces of writing on its really grubby and flaking surface. No mention of any kind of poper export documentation, so I'd say it was in fact pretty worthless to a responsible collector. This seller has a number of other rather ripped up and crappy pieces.For sale is this incredibly rare circa 4th to 7th century AD Coptic Christian papyrus manuscript fragment from Egypt. This piece was handwritten in Byzantine era Egypt by the Copts (Christian Egyptians) [..]. It is in incredible condition given its age. Still though, study photos for exact condition. It is still an ancient artifact, so will have flaws. It is only the fragment that you see in the photo. This would be a rare opportunity to add an incredible antiquity to your collection today! Provenance: ex 20th century private European collection (acquired mid century). Great conversation piece, display/ decor piece, teaching tool, gift, or addition to any collection! Don’t pass it up! [...] My items come from my personal collection, reputable whole-sellers, art/antique dealers, auction houses, old barns/houses, and more. Some are given to me to sell, found, or even items that I got here off of eBay (from reputable sellers of course;). Some is bought in bulk so I can offer you great prices, and some are rare and I only have one.
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In the Russian-occupied territory of Abkhazia (NW Georgia), a museum with thousands of paintings has completely burned down. The art gallery in Sukhum caught fire last night. More than four thousand paintings were burned: the entire picture collection was destroyed.
According to one version, the cause of the fire could have been a faulty wiring. The burning down of an art gallery with thousands of paintings represents a tragic loss of irreplaceable cultural heritage.
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| Publisher's stock image . |
The National Police has confiscated 71 archaeological pieces from the looting and most of them were found in a gallery in Barcelona, whose name has not been released. These are items dating from the Visigothic, Nassarite, Caliphate and Renaissance periods and which had been distributed irregularly through antique shops and specialist shops. Among the objects are columns, capitals, Islamic beams, an Arabic funerary stele, sculptures and four Visigothic belt buckles. [...] agents have arrested six people (five in Granada and one in Barcelona) for crimes against historical heritage, belonging to a criminal group and money laundering. [...] The agents have found private sales contracts in the hands of the manager of [a Barcelona shop], in which he stated that these pieces came from an old collection inherited by a family member. According to the police, the criminal group consisted of 10 people from the same family, some of whom have not been arrested because they are outside the country. Some located pieces of looted archaeology, falsified their documentation and introduced them to the legal market.
"Israel denies the allegations, but experts say that cemetery destruction could be evidence of Israel's genocidal intent: "there is huge symbolic meaning to the notion that not even the dead are left in peace. It suggests that disrespect towards the spiritual life of your enemy, their cultural property and heritage, it is evidence of an animus against your enemy that is unhelpful in this context".Some readers might find the images of exposed human remains disturbing. Viewer discretion advised, but the topic needs to be discussed (and here in Poland the occupant's treatment of human remains contrasts heavily with the way we archaelogists and heritage professionals here in Poland are constrained to treat exhumation of Jewish human remains and Jewish burial grounds).
but actually, when somebody sees unpapered antiquities just "surfacing" (from underground) somewhere, why should it be considered the resposibility of the looted source country (victime of the clandestine culture crime) to be the one to fight to STOP it's passage through the market? Do not individuals and institutions in the country where there is a demand for these items have no responsibility for the actions of their compatriots?"India has done nothing. It has not accomplished even 5% of what smaller countries like Nepal and Cambodia have done. Cambodia has people visiting museums in America, taking a stand, and saying, ‘This is ours; give it back’. Our laws and our force remain weak."
A metal detectorist is locked in disagreement with the county council over the value of a piece of treasure that she found in a farmer's field. Caroline Parkinson found the 700-year-old medieval brooch when she was using her metal detector in Richard and Isobelle Robinson's field at an undisclosed location near Hodnet. The discovery of the silver gilt brooch in January 2022 had both Caroline and Shropshire Council whooping in delight. They both agreed that they would like to see it displayed in a museum.But now somebody also wants what the TVC says is market value for the haul. So how much is too high? The end of the article is behind a paywall. It seems everybody in the UK is out to make money from the digging up and flogging off of the nation's archaeological artefacts. Chunky annular brooch with thyick pin, looks to me more like something that'd be more at home in a Baltic coast town than a Shropshire field...
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| Maciej Wąsik |
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| PiS wives of their husbands on show |
In nearly three hours of testimony, lawyers and experts on behalf of South Africa presented evidence arguing that Israel's three-month-long military campaign in Gaza has gone beyond a war with Hamas — the Palestinian militant group that attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and taking 240 hostages, according to Israel. The South African legal team argued Israel's offensive now includes all 2 million Palestinians who reside in Gaza. "The level of Israel's killing is so extensive that nowhere is safe in Gaza," South African lawyer Adila Hassim said to the court. "As I stand before you today, 23,210 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces during the sustained attacks over the last three months," said Hassim, "at least 70% of whom are believed to be women and children." Hassim said the Israeli military dropped 6,000 bombs a week on Gaza in the first three weeks of its campaign and dropped 2,000-pound bombs onto areas declared safe by Israel, including refugee camps. As a result, she said, more than 1,800 families in Gaza have lost multiple family members, and 85% of all Gazans have been forced to flee their homes. "This killing is nothing short of destruction of Palestinian life," Hassim said. "It is inflicted deliberately. No one is spared. Not even newborn babies. The scale of Palestinian child killings in Gaza is such that U.N. chiefs have described it as a 'graveyard for children.' "[...] In Israel's opening arguments before the court on Friday, Israeli lawyer Tal Becker said Israel is "singularly aware" of why the Genocide Convention was adopted, referring to the systematic murder of 6 million Jews in the Holocaust, which gave birth to the convention invoked in these proceedings.Two wrongs do not make a right.
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| Soil pH map UKSO 2024 |
Back in the late 70s and early 80s it was discovered (by a detectorist) that high pH (alkaline) readings in soil strongly indicated evidence of past human presence. As we know, where there’s been human presence or habitation… it’s highly likely there’ll be tangible evidence of such in the form of coins and relics. Unsurprisingly, there was a mad rush to get one of these pH gizmos from local gardening centres. They were back then, and still are today, available at nickel and dime prices. These pH meters are invaluable little gadgets for determining human habitation/activity in a suspected area. Using a pH meter increases your finds potential [...] – it will give you a definite edge and is probably the most useful bit of kit in your armoury after your metal detector.
So, you wander across the landscape and take measurements with a soil pH meter and these pH readings, he says, will guide you to the artefact productive sites. The results should be interpreted as follows:
Take several readings across the area your intended search area so as to ascertain its acidity or alkalinity, or to ‘outline’ the habitation area. Readings above ‘7’ are indicative of human existence. The higher the pH reading, then the higher the probability of extended human habitation in the form of settlements, turnpikes, and the like, all of which transmits to…FINDS. In effect, your pH meter suggests human occupation and your metal detector proves it by what it locates"."Acidic (Human habitation free)
acidic….3.5
Extremely acidic….3.5 – 4.4
Very strongly acidic….4.5 – 5.0
Strongly acidic….5.1 – 5.5
Moderately acidic….5.6 – 6.0
Slightly acidic….6.1 – 6.5
Neutral….6.6 – 7.3
Alkaline Readings
Slightly alkaline….7.4 – 7.8: Possible human occupation
Moderately alkaline….7.9 – 8.4 Probable human occupation
Strong alkaline….8.5 – 9.0 Likely human occupation site
High alkaline….9.0 JACKPOT!
Simple, eh? And very "scientific", imagine how impressed yer farmer's going to be....
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This is a very good example why I am very sceptical of my Bitish archaeological colleagues and their wishy-washy ideas that "metal detecting" (artefact hunting) is done by "good ol' boys who just want to learn something", who want to find out something... and we should be encouraging (and even promoting) this. This is what they say (though I can guess after hearing such things how many of them have ever [like me] spent any time on a metal detctorists' forum to check out their impressions of who and what it is we are dealing with).
Let's skip this guy's faulty use of his own language (the word "potential"), and move onto those soil pHs...
I think there are probably very few farmers in the UK who do not know about (or could talk about) pH. It is a pretty fundamental soil characteristic. It affects microbial activity and chemical activity, which in turn affects availability of elements, microelements to the growing plants (thus crop yield). Soil pH needs to be managed if it starts to shift outside a certain range. I once was shown a photo of what I was told was John Howland's house, he'd ripped up a large portion of the green bits and gravelled the lot, apparently not keen on the gardening. This might explain his total ignorance of soil pH (BBC 2020). Any gardener would know that a soil with a ph of 9 is not a "jackpot", it is a desert. Duh. That takes an enquiring mind about 12 seconds mouse-work to find out. Howland apparently did not even have an inkling (what did they teach them about pH in his school?) that there was anything more to find out.
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| A desert (Msimbira and Smith 2020) |
How many tekkie-supporting archaeologists knew that? So, what is the mechanism by which, allegedly, "high soil pH strongly indicates evidence of past human presence"? Howland does not say, again, it seems not to be something he even thought of investigating. In fact there is quite a lot of literature on geochemical changes in soils caused by human activity, in the past (and present, understanding this is a vital part of soil chemistry). Actually, in most of that done on archaeological sites pH is not one of the main subjects of investigation. Without going into it in any detail, suffice to note that the chemical processes occurring in soils are very complex and there is no simple equation between soil pH and human activity. How could there be?
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| Soil pH. Cranfield 2018 |
References:
BBC 'Soil pH level explained', Gardeners' World Magazine, 10 January 2020
Cranfield University 2018, "Modelling national-scale changes in soils".
Msimbira, Levini A. and Donald L. Smith 2020. “The Roles of Plant Growth Promoting Microbes in Enhancing Plant Tolerance to Acidity and Alkalinity Stresses.” Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems.
UKSO 2024, Countryside survey of topsoil in Great Britain UK Soil Observatory.
"my last post got deleted when I mentioned the name that can’t be mentioned mate, he gana walk free, his defence will be he took all the stuff home to “study” during lockdown, you would think a national institution like BM would have rules in place to stop stuff like that, but watch this space".Yep. We are watching. Taking a long time too. AND the missing Oxyrhynchus pappys case - what's happening there? The things just vanish? And the missing objects from the British Museum, reportedly sold off on eBay? There seem to be an awful lot of antiquities that just become invisible in sleazy-old "Great" Britain when convenient among the 'old-boys' for institutional face-saving. I'm with the tekkies on this one. I think we all should hear what they know about this case.
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| Brexit biting . |
A MAN who has found thousands of historical artefacts is raising funds for a new metal detector to carry on with his discoveries. Josh Carr explained that the funds would help him get a more technologically advanced metal detector. "The better technology, the deeper it goes, and the more history I can find for our little town, Millom," said the 28-year-old. The Millom metal detectorist has been metal detecting for over five years and has found several significant artefacts in the area. These include six socketed axe heads, Room broochs, an Iron Age terret ring, as well as the Marcus Aurelius silver denari and numerous other finds, especially coins. He said that recently, he sent the six socketed axe heads to get analysed, cleaned and dated by the British Museum.That's nice of them, the British Museum to analyse, clean and date "his" axeheads for him, he must e doing good then. Some lady who is "chair of the Millom and District Local History Society" (they've even got theor own "metal detectorists" subgroup - guess who's running that?) says that "by his findings and dedication, Josh has shown that he is a very important part of a joint effort to uncover the past of Old Millom" and "raise the profile" of its history.
"He is totally dedicated to his metal detecting and to uncovering the history of Old Millom. He is a credit to Millom and a wonderful role model (if I were dishing out awards, he would be at the top of the list). "He won his previous metal detectors, and when he told me he wanted to save up for a better model this year, I had no hesitation in setting up the fundraiser. With his skills, knowledge, dedication and a better machine, he is more likely to find more artefacts."Yep, ripping artefacts up out of the ground is what it is about in Old Millom. They do not seem to have a conservation society.
Why would a group that cares for local history (and one presumes, the historical environment) endorse this kind of destructive artefact hunting that destroys contexts and associations of the archeological artefact that are removed blindly from the ground like this? Digging a narrow hole blindly down like the one in the photo, he cannot possibly see any archaeological context or associations (or lack of one). This is not any form of archaeology or "history hunting" it is just a hunt for trophy artefacts to pocket. Where is the documentation of this? If this gentleman has indeed found "thousands" of artefacts that add to our knowledge in the way you claim (how?), where is the evidence that he has been responsibly recording them with the Portable Antiquities Scheme, if in their database there are just 27 anonymous records from Millom and "near Millom"? https://finds.org.uk/database/search/results/q/Millom. Just "digging things up" is no more archaeology than shooting pheasants in a field is ornithology.UPDATE: It was published and the history society lady replied:
Jan BridgetAutorHmm. "not everyone can complete the documentation necessary when submitting to PAS" what would that be? Showing on a map where they found each item? Showing they have the landowner's permission to take these objects? What documentation is causing this difficulty up there in Millom?
Paul, we are all entitled to our opinions and I am aware there are plenty of archaeologists who agree with your sentiments. But I also know some who accept and want to work with metal detectorists and acknowledge that their finds have often been the starting point for archaeological investigations, as indeed, is the case here. However, I would make the following points.
1. not everyone can complete the documentation necessary when submitting to PAS.
2. The scheme is not trusted by detectorists in our area as several detectorists have submitted finds and they have been lost, gone astray, nothing has happened. We are trying to build up trust with our local PAS and local detectorists as their new member of staff has been to one of our events and met with local detectorists and we hope to be able to encourage local detectorists to work more closely with them in the future. This is one of the reasons why we set up the Millom Detectorists group - to encourage detectorists to be responsible, although some already are.
3. No-one is interested in conducting archaeology in our area. It is really only through our local detectorists that the profile of the incredible history of this place has and is being raised (despite there being two grade 1 listed buildings here). We are trying to save the Old School next to Holy Trinity Church and Millom Castle and turn it into a Heritage Centre: many of the local detectorists have promised to donate their finds to the Centre. Many of them are taking part in our Community Archaeology Projects.
Edytowano
" Projekt ustawy trafił do Sejmu, finalnie zostal przegłosowany, a na koniec, Pan Prezydent go popisał. Ustawa wchodzi w życie w 2024 w maju. Pamiętajcie że nic raz dany nie trwa na wieki, przez nami ostatnie prosta, wdrożenie ustawy w życiu.Still smirking, he invites viewers to sign up to the PZE. What he did not mention is that the old team of the outgoing government who ran the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage as far as the information I have goes were so busy with other things in their last weeks of power that the tenders were not sent out for the construction of the application at the centre of this new legislation - let alone creating conditions to finance it. The new team in the Ministry has immediately been attacked by the (now) opposition about its attempts to sort out the mess left by the former regime of the state TV service. The opposition seek the Minister's dismissal. So conditions are not idea for the application to be created.[The bill was submitted to the Sejm, was finally considered, and finally, the President signed it. The act enters into force in May 2024. Remember that once given, nothing lasts forever, the last step is to implement the law]".
