A blog commenting on various aspects of the private collecting and trade in archaeological artefacts today and their effect on the archaeological record.
I was interested to see the Norton Disney Amateur Arcghaeology Society making a fuss again. They attempted to gain great publicity over their discovery of a 'dodecahedron', but when problems arose about its actual archaeological context and the way the find was being treated (and why material from archaeological investigations was going onto the PAS database) but also in particular how they were excavating and recording the site, instead of discussing it civilly, people associated with this find first of all were uncivil, then they decided to block me. Amateurish.
Paul Whitewick has a video up on YouTube that raises some important issues about archaeological information in the public domain concerning the grumpy and defensive Norton Disney Society:
I was altered to a BBC Sounds interview from BBC Radio Lincolnshire recently. It discussed the "Fake" Roman Dodecahedron and how it has caused upset. Naturally I was keen to listen. Here is a brief discussion on why I need to rant a tad about it.
The photo attribution was changed from "Rights Holder: Lorena Hitchens" to
"Rights Holder: Lincolnshire County Council" and a note added to the PAS record:
"Notes:
Enquiries relating to the creation of 3D Models.
Please note that a license from the private owner of that object is required before creating and distributing a 3D model of the dodecahedron. However, the owner is choosing to remain anonymous. There will be a published report that will be submitted to the Lincolnshire Historic Environment Record (HER) although again the report will still be copyrighted by its author(s), so again, permission is required to use that (sic) data for any models."
And "the [anonymous] private owner" is the same person that hides under the umbrella of respectability the PAS record provides? Yet both the common heritage belongs to us all, and the PAS database is there to make information about it (INCLUDING its shape, appearance, dimensions, weight, colour publicly available - for all to use... that's the blooming point of it). So what is going on here? Paul Whitewick has a valid point, and I'd be interested to hear the PAS expand on what their attitude is to all this.
Notification by
Lost Arts of Nepal (
@LostArtsofNepal)
FAITH STOLEN - Nepalese antiquities on sale today right under our noses at Galerie Zacke Auction, Vienna Austria 10/11th April 2025. Where is the documentation verifying they are not stolen?
GALLERY ZACKE since 1968 - "House of tradition" (sic) for antique Asian art, known for the largest exhibitions and auctions of non-European art in Austria. But how does in get there? By what rigtht is it spold there, instead of being repatriated in the case of items that are illcit (ie have no proper documentation of legal acquisition and export)?
Lots 24 ( From a London dealership, acquired in the local art market.), 26 (The collection of Dr. John Ross Sr., thence by descent to his son and thence by further direct descent), and 28 -31 "from the Collection of Raymond & Marsha Vargas Handley" (28 - Spink & Son, London, 1987; 29 - Spink & Son, London, 1987 (invoice lost); 30 - Spink & Son, London, 1987 (invoice lost). 31 - Hardt & Sons, New York, United States, 15 February 2003)
Raymond G. Handley (1923-2009) partnered with Ray Renault in the 1950s to co-found one of California’s oldest and most successful real estate development firms. They were pioneers in shaping the early landscape of Silicon Valley, developing buildings for major tech innovators such as Intel and Raytheon, laying the groundwork for the region’s transformation into a global technology hub. Raymond Handley was a keen collector of art who traveled extensively, including the most remote parts of Papua New Guinea and Africa. In Mali, where his brother served as the Ambassador of the United States, he drilled more than fifty water wells for Dogon villages. His passion led him to establish Folk Art International/Xanadu Tribal Arts, an ethnographic art business which developed into the Xanadu Gallery in the late 1990s, located in the historic Frank Lloyd Wright building off Union Square, and continued by his widow Marsha Vargas Handley until her retirement in 2015. Having opened her first gallery in the Bay Area in 1973, she is an important figure in the Asian art world in her own right, serving as the president of the International Netsuke Society for over 16 years. Raymond Handley’s first visit to Spink & Son took place in the early 1980s, between Christmas and New Year’s, when much of the staff was away on vacation. During this visit, Raymond was captivated by the gallery's impressive selection of fine works and quickly amassed a collection of over 100 items he intended to purchase. This large number caused some concern for Anthony Gardner, head of Spink’s Southeast Asian Department, who had never dealt with such a sizable transaction. As the total approached 108 items, Anthony suggested Raymond stop there, citing it as an auspicious number. To this day, 108 remains the record for the most works sold in a single day, and it became customary thereafter for the staff to remain at work during the holiday period.
The original version of the Artefact Erosion Counter in the left margin of this blog was created in the middle of 2018 when there were thought to be 29000/30000 active detectorists in the UK. This figure now seems to have changed (https://paul-barford.blogspot.com/2025/03/when-are-british-archaeologists-going.html).
The table looks like this (the square brackets indicate that we really can have no certainty about how many UK detectorists complied with lockdown regulations - the figures should be treated as nominal maximums)
Year
No. of detectorists
No. of finds p/a
2018
29/30,000
907,500
2019
32,000
968,000
2020
33,000
[998,250]
2021
34,000
[1,028,500]
2022
36,000
1,089,000
2023
37,000
1,119,250
2024
38,000
1,149,500
Extrapolating, the figures it looks like there might be c. 39000 detectorists at the end of 2025 and at the standard rate, they will have found 1,257,750 recordable artefacts in this one year alone.
I will not set up a new counter at the moment, but it is clear from this that the existing one is ticking too slowly. Using the figures given above (and beginning by subtracting the c. 5,445,000 artefacts calculated at the 2018 rate), starting from the end of 2018 and ending on 31st Dec 2024 (and ignoring the issue of quantifying the Covid shortfall as unquantifiable) the counter should have counted off 6,382, 750 artefacts). So instead of at the very beginning of 2025 it should have read 19,389,186 objects/.
The PAS database today (four months later) reads "1,802,884 objects within 1,165,711 records" for England and Wales. That's not looking good.
A man has been arrested on suspicion of illegal metal detecting [...]
Norfolk Police said officers patrolling Methwold Hythe, near Downham Market, spotted activity in a field at about 02:30 BST on Monday.
A man in his 40s was arrested on suspicion of theft.
Officers said a metal detector and spade were seized along with a quantity of metal coins.
The suspect was taken to King's Lynn Police Investigation Centre for questioning, and was released on bail until 12 June.
Interestingly, perhaps the tide is turning and the message is getting through, this is the first such reportt that I have seen for ages without the cut-and-paste addition that "the majority of metal detectorisys are responsible law abiding searchers, reporting all they find increasing our knowledge of the past". Good. Because its not true.
The Taş Tepeler project in southeastern Turkey, centered around Şanlıurfa Province, involves the excavation of multiple prehistoric sites dating back to the Pre-Pottery Neolithic period (approximately 10,000–7,000 BCE). These sites are significant for the occurrence on some of them of monumental T-shaped pillars and the insights they provide into the transition from hunter-gatherer societies to settled communities. The project currently encompasses the following excavated sites:
Göbeklitepe: The most famous site, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, known for its large circular enclosures with T-shaped limestone pillars, some decorated with animal reliefs. Excavations began in 1995 and continue to reveal structures from around 9600–7000 BCE.
Karahantepe: Located about 46 kilometers from Şanlıurfa, this site features over 250 T-shaped megaliths and evidence of both ritual and domestic use. Excavations started in 2019 and have uncovered realistic human statues and enclosures.
Sayburç: This site has yielded a notable relief depicting a five-figure scene with humans, leopards, and a bull, considered one of the earliest narrative carvings from the Neolithic. Some of the buildings had T-shaped pillars, some in the shape of human figures. Excavations are ongoing.
Harbetsuvan Tepesi: Situated 7 kilometers southwest of Karahantepe, it’s a smaller site (about 5 decares), currently under excavation.The stone structures, partially destroyed by later damage, consisted of rectangular buildings, at least one of which was equipped with a pair of stone pillars at the centrer. Stone construction included an important finding: a seated male sculpture resembling those recovered at Göbeklitepe and Karahantepe
Gürcütepe: Part of the initial seven sites announced in 2021, it’s being explored for its Neolithic remains, though specific findings are less publicized.
Çakmaktepe: Another of the original seven, this site is under active excavation, contributing to the broader understanding of the region’s prehistory.
Sefertepe: Included in the initial phase, it’s being excavated to uncover T-shaped obelisks and related structures.
Yeni Mahalle Mound: Also among the first seven, this site near Şanlıurfa is part of the ongoing digs, revealing early settlement evidence.
Kurttepesi: One of the twelve identified sites with T-shaped pillars, currently under excavation as part of the expanded project.
Taşlıtepe: A site similar in scale to Harbetsuvan, it’s being excavated to explore its Neolithic features.
Ayanlar Höyük: Located 30 kilometers west of Şanlıurfa, it’s under investigation, though no T-shaped stelae have been found yet, suggesting it may have been a cult center.
Yoğunburç: Added to the excavation list, it’s being studied for its contributions to the Neolithic narrative.
Söğüt Tarlası-Biris Mezarlığı is a site located about 32 km northwest of Şanlıurfa, just south of the city center of Bozova
The Taş Tepeler project, launched in 2021 by the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism, initially focused on seven sites (Göbeklitepe, Karahantepe, Gürcütepe, Sayburç, Çakmaktepe, Sefertepe, and Yeni Mahalle) but has since expanded to include twelve locations, with nine actively excavated as of 2024. The project aims to excavate a total of twelve sites by 2024, though some, like Nevalı Çori (submerged by a dam) and Hamzan Tepe, are not currently active dig sites within this initiative. Excavations are ongoing, with plans to transform findings into tourist destinations, reflecting the region’s role as a cradle of early civilization.
This is distressing watching. I have always said that archaeology is not rocket science" and the mouthy US YouTubers in this video clearly think they understand everything about the discipline and as such are uniquely entitled to trash the work of the DAI archaeological team, the Turkish heritage management officers and any archaeologist attempting to engage with them, this comes out very well in this video. What also comes over in this video is that all three of these "content producers" understand about as much of what they are looking at as one of the goats in the fields outside the fence. Zero. That is despite them writing pages and pages of rant about how "only they" "know" what's what here. What a total eyeopener, it seems I might have severely overestimated the understanding of members of the public.
Although the film editor Mike Collins drops some real howlers in the first part and at the end, I propose in this post concentrating on the central part of the video. Jimmy Corsetti wearing a ridiculous hat indoors explaining what he thinks he sees when on the walkway looking directly down onto the site. Let me remind everyone what the site looks like, what he is looking at. What do you see here?
And what does Jimmy Corsetti see? Here's the video (transcript below)
Posted on You Tube by Wandering Wolf 3rd April.
Here's what he had to say:
"So, I’ve been out here and just got back—been walking around for about 30 minutes. A few things stand out, one of which is, this is worse than I thought. Look at all this debris. These stones—there’s so much that could stand to be removed. Are you telling me they couldn’t have cleared more than this by now?(1)
If you really stop and study the site, it’s hard to understand how they haven’t cleared more of it. All the photos I’ve seen online didn’t truly convey the reality. They didn’t paint a full picture of just how much more of this could’ve already been excavated. That’s the first thing.
The second thing is this infrastructure they’ve put in—the viewing platforms, the steel frames stabbing directly into the archaeological site itself (2). That tells me there’s no real intention to fully excavate the area. They’d have to dismantle those platforms to do it, and it doesn’t look like that’s on the table.
Then there's number three — this whole debate about whether the site was purposely buried or just covered by natural landslides (3). What archaeologists are now saying is, “No, no, it was a result of landslides from the hill above.” But I’m looking at that hill right now, and I’m sorry—it just doesn’t add up. The hill is right there, and yet the pillars are still standing upright, surrounded by these stones. If this was a landslide, those pillars would’ve been knocked over or destroyed. But they weren’t. This gives every reason to believe that the stones were intentionally stacked and that the site was purposely buried, just like Klaus Schmidt—the original archaeologist here—originally thought. I’m just not seeing how that little hill could explain all of this. It’s not big enough to justify saying it slid down in multiple landslides over time. I’ve got extensive video and photos from up there. I’ve looked. It just doesn’t make sense to me. In my mind, everything here validates the idea of intentional burial.
But honestly, man, my big takeaway, my gut reaction, is just this: they could’ve removed more by now. Look at all these stones. Look at how much is still buried. Why haven’t they done it?
It’s either that they won’t—or at least, they haven’t—and that’s inexcusable. From an archaeological excavation standpoint, this is actually worse than I thought. And we haven’t even gone to the areas where the trees are, or around the upper perimeter. There’s more to see, sure, but from what I’ve already seen? Disappointing. The excavation is way less than what it could be. I don’t know what else to say.
Are you seeing what I’m seeing? Even just removing a few more feet of earth would make a difference. So why haven’t they done it?
There are still plenty of pillars buried in the earth all the way around here. Why won’t they excavate those? Why won’t they expose what’s depicted on them?
Because as it stands now, most of the pillars are still so deeply buried that you can’t even see what’s carved into them. And if they’re not going to uncover that — man, get out of here.
Where to begin?
(1) "All this debris", "These stones", "look at all these stones" , "a few more feet of earth". Look at the vertical view of the site above. Rightly or wrongly, the archaeologists have just removed the infill of several sunken oval structures with stone T-shaped pillars together with parts of the upper layers of adjacent areas. They have stopped when they hit structures - such as walls. We can see there are many phases of intercutting and abutting walls, many forming concentric vertical layers like a section through an onion. In among them are the pillars, some are standing free within the enclosed space, others are embedded in the outermost (innermost in terms of the internal space) wall rebuild, but others are embedded in teh walls behind them. I do not know what the excavators make of this, I would guess that one possible interpretation is that this site was been used seasonally and between phases of use the oval structures became a bit dilapidated and had to be repaired, and instead of dismantling them and rebuilding them to save time this was done by adding another layer of wall on the face of the previous one where necessary.
In excavation, the diggers have only exposed the minimum required by the research programme, to begin dismantling the sequence of the walls that we see preserved would be an extremely complicated task (and to my eye impossible without applying single-context recording which I am pretty sure looking at the trenches was not the method used to excavate this so far - more like an adaption of a Kenyon-type technique?). And wisely, the excavators have not attempted this. But they do need to record the exposed surface and amalgamate that with the data on what was removed and what was in that fill (I'd suggest - if that's not what they've done - reverse engineering the record as far as possible into a single-context record).
It seems Jimmy Corsaetti sees here a "pile of stones" (elsewhere he speaks of "stacked stones") that could easily be removed (in one of his rants on X he speaks of his puzzlement that it's enough just to get a "pressure hose" on the site to reveal the pillars and the pictures on them). He simply cannot see (even standing on a walkway looking down directly onto them with an explanatory table by the side) the complex stratigraphy. The many phases of the wall rebuilds are invisible to him.
The American Historical Association (AHA) and the Organization of American Historians (OAH) have released a joint statement condemning “recent efforts to censor historical content on federal government websites, at many public museums, and across a wide swath of government resources that include essential data.” “Our professional ethics require that ‘all historians believe in honoring the integrity of the historical record,’” the statement reads. “We expect our nation’s leadership to adhere to this same basic standard and we will continue to monitor, protest, and place in the historical record any censorship of American historical facts.” To date, 38 organizations have signed on to the statement (read more).
It seems that no archaeological bodies (even historical/industrial archaeology) are affiliated to the AHA and/or OAH. I hope this means they will be producing their own statements as this trend affects them too.
Italian Giza researcher Corrado Malanga answers debunkers who claim that SAR technology can only scan the surface, laying out the techniques behind the new 'discoveries' on the Giza Plateau (nine parts). Pt. 1/9 . This rather disjointed auto-dub of an already ramplbling explanation starts off with the kind of argument that raises a red flag for me: "it is very simple, a small child would understand it" - belittling those who do not understand what he's saying. This is a typical ploy of pseudoscience.
The fact is however that what Prof Malanga says is very disorganised and rambling, not to mention inconsistent. If the whole idea is to turn "photonic" (eh?) into "sonic" information, why does he then talk of analysing it in terms of "pixels"? In any case if one starts with crude photonic data, how does the conversion into another form of output in some way ADD the subtlety (we understand lacking in the photonic output - otherwise there would be no need to convert it to analyse it) that allows underground resonances and vibrations to be read? This continues to be unexplained.
Another issue I have is that the idea of a tomographic slice through a site in which you can see "pixels" in front and behind the plane completely ignores what the basic definition of a tomographic slice actually is (Greek τόμος tomos, "slice, section"/ γράφω graphō, here "describe" ).
This explanation (together with the personal attacks on the project's critics) obscures much more than it reveals, and calls into question Malaga's ability to explain it, and indeed his motives for giving this unfocussed justification involving special pleading.
Get the method and results properly published so they can be discussed. So far, the way it is being presented, promoted and defended looks to me like it is a total scam. Prove me wrong.
They admit: "we went in there, big time... I broke some rules. There's no signs, these was no fencing, we went in there, and I crawled around in there, I was very respectful [sic], and very careful. I got a lot of photos... This is on the side of a road with a bunch of houses around it and this lady gets on her phone holding her baby and it looks like she was calling somebody to report on us, so we got out of there [...]. Yeah, we were in there [...] They'd put a roofing system in [...] and you crawl under it to get into the site".
Now, the site looks like this, it is clear that this is not public land but the excavation was on somebody's property, but actually asking the property owner of they might take a look seems not to have crossed their mind (the property owner probably still lives in the village)
Here he is stomping around on the excavated surfaces INSIDE the building (even if you are on somebody's property, actually entering one of their buildings...):
These clowns claim to have "explosive" evidence on film of archaeological malpractice by the German and Turkish archaeologists there who are allegedly "damaging history". Two of them (
@WWolfProd
&
@LivingExtraord1
) are making money taking tourist groups to Turkey ..
Archaeologists are so terrified at what we documented in Turkey, they are now claiming we broke the law! 😂 I don’t believe any laws were broken But IDGAF [Americanism - I don't give a f**k PMB] if they were 🤷🏼♂️ 📍I posses smoking-gun evidence of destroyed ruins at *multiple* ancient sites in Turkey - which are the oldest on earth‼️ Archaeological malpractice 💯 📍These are just a few pictures from Sayburç, Gobekli Tepe’s sister site. It is an archaeological travesty. Ruins scatted (sic) outside the enclosed “protective” roof, laying all over the place like trash 🤯 The most egregious evidence (not seen here) is backed up on multiple computers, multiple external hard drives, multiple encrypted cloud servers, as well as in the hands of others that I trust. Archaeologists might want to get off the railroad tracks, cuz nothing is going to stop this train. Tick tock, tick tock ⏰🔥
for the record, we didn’t break into anything. This site is on the side of the road, no fences, and no trespassing signs. And we certainly don’t need permits to take photos for investigative journalism. @FlintDibble has never been to Turkey, and is desperate to protect corrupt archaeological practices
What? Mr Corsetti should know that Turkey has indeed very strict laws controlling access to archaeological excavations and sites (through a permit system) and also laws concerning photos taken for commercial use, which his undoubtedly is. Whether it is fenced or signed or not, in the USA as elsewhere, you cannot just walk into somebody's property (still less enter buildings on it) willy nilly without seeking permission. That is what is called trespass.
British archaeologist living and working in Warsaw, Poland. Since the early 1990s (or even longer) a primary interest has been research on artefact hunting and collecting and the market in portable antiquities in the international context and their effect on the archaeological record.
"coiney" - a term I use for private collector of dug up ancient coins, particularly a member of the Moneta-L forum or the ACCG
"heap-of-artefacts-on-a-table-collecting" the term rather speaks for itself, an accumulation of loose artefacts with no attempt to link each item with documented origins. Most often used to refer to metal detectorists (ice-cream tubs-full) and ancient coin collectors (Roman coins sold in aggregated bulk lots)
"tekkie" - metal detectorist/metal detecting (a form of artefact hunting)
CDE - Collection-Driven Exploitation of archaeological sites
CPAC - Cultural Property Advisory Committee [US]
FLO - Finds Liaison Officer (post in the PAS)
HER - Historic Environment Record [UK]
IAPN - International Association of Professional Numismatists
MENA - Middle East and North Africa
PAS - Portable Antiquities Scheme
PNG - Professional Numismatists' Guild
UNESCO - United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
UNESCO 1970 Convention - Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property
