British Archaeologists and Their Lies

The Detectorist Institute and Foundation:

"The PAS is an essential resource for metal detectorists [...] expanding the scheme to serve its potential 40,000 to 50,000 active participants—currently only about 3,000 are engaged—presents significant administrative and logistical challenges".

And don't let any British archaeologist lie to you that "the majority of detectorists are responsible" (2017 Code of Best Practice for Responsible Metal Detecting). That's less than 7.5% innit? That, there, is what decent, normal people would in all honesty call a MINORITY.

Suffolk Sandlands Detecting Tour Hoard Find

I have discussed Suffolk Sandlands Detecting Tours based at Butley Abbey before on this blog. The detectorists involved are Andy Sampson - from Orford, John French from Suffolk, and Graeme Rushton from up North. They were all related to ITV's crass series "Great British Treasure Hunt" with Henry Cole.

A video shows some detecting on the "tour" with some serious misidentifications, the sprue of a bronze casting (note the BA hoard found apparently nearby) was called a "weight" and a Flavian coin is missnamed a "Jewponidus" [recte: dupondius].

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Posted on YouTube by Unearthed Detecting TV May 12, 2025

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 Some finds are shown being pulled from the ground and cleaned immediately on camera. 

Without precise geolocation or stratigraphic recording, key contextual data (e.g., exact depth, soil composition, proximity to other items) will be lost. The film shows no documentation of this type being undertaken, at the end while a pile of loose objects is shown, none of any documentation done is displayed, suggesting documentation was not the most important part of the operation. The film raises concerns about documentation standards, potential for incomplete recovery and recording, risk of missed smaller or fragile artifacts. The team mentions they suspected more items were present and are recovering them piecemeal.

In line with current detecting lore, the fragmentation of the items in the hoard is mentioned, bolstering the "it's only in the ploughsoil" narrative, some artifacts are described as broken due to  modern ploughing.  Some of this looks to me to be ancient damage. Let us hope when this is professionally recorded the FLO looks at this evidence objectively and honestly (after all the ancient damage is an archaeological feature of the deposit). 

Since so many UK Bronze Ages (and Iron Age) hoards are being recovered through metal detecting, time is well-overdue for a good long look at the actual archaeological effects of this manner of discovery, particularly the suitability of the masses of material being recovered ad hoc like this instead as a result of more controlled and fully documented excavation for the kind of work currently being carried out on the continent on excavated assemblages. 

Missing Viking Treasure Coin Found in London

A somewhat misleading clickbait headline: 'Missing Viking treasure coin unearthed in London' ( BBC 22.05.2025) A coin, believed to belong to the undeclared Leominster Hoard (dug up by detectorists George Powell and Layton Davies), has been found for sale "in Croydon, London". Of the c. 300 coins dug up, with other metal objects, in a Herefordshire field in 2015, more than 230 coins are still missing and "police investigations are ongoing". In 2019, Powell and Davies, from Pontypridd, were convicted of stealing the hoard of gold jewels and silver coins and hiding the find, only 72 of the coins have been found.

Police believe they are in the hands of organised crime gangs across the world and now one has been found on sale in London. "We have been notified by colleagues at the Metropolitan Police that a coin, believed to be part of the Herefordshire Hoard, has surfaced for sale in Croydon," said Det Insp Ben Pearson, from West Mercia Police. "Enquiries are ongoing to establish how this coin came to be in London.

The coins that were in the hoard are of types that are generally quite expensive, so one would expect this to have been in the hands of a specialist dealer. As far as I know, there are none such in Croydon, though quite a few generalised dealers involved in house clearance etc. - no names leap out (neither can one rule out a pawn shop). So, it will be interesting to know how the coin reached teh seller, and who and how it was spotted.

And indeed, whether a random coin of the 'right type' floating around on the market can indeed be tied with 100% certainty to a specific dug up context.

Where the Wider Public Gets its History From These Days

 

The sheer volume of misleading or low-quality historical content on YouTube has long been a source of frustration—but the situation has deteriorated dramatically with the rise of AI-generated media. What was once a trickle of poorly-researched amateur content has become a flood of slick, algorithm-driven productions masquerading as educational material. Many of these videos are over an hour long, narrated with convincingly human-like synthetic voices, and assembled from scripts churned out by data-scraping algorithms that lack any meaningful sense of context, nuance, or scholarly rigor. They're often accompanied by AI-generated visuals that are not just inaccurate, but profoundly disorienting—depictions of historical scenes and figures that blend anachronisms, stereotypes, and outright fabrications into something resembling a digital hallucination.

What’s most troubling is not just the existence of this material, but the scale of its reach. Large platforms reward engagement, not accuracy, and these videos often outperform more carefully researched content in terms of views and visibility. In an era when critical thinking skills are increasingly undervalued or outright dismissed, the implications are deeply unsettling. If we continue to consume knowledge passively—favoring aesthetic appeal and emotional stimulation over accuracy and understanding—we risk creating a culture that is both misinformed and manipulable. At that point, the question is no longer just about bad history, but about whether we’re quietly surrendering the intellectual foundations of a free society in favor of a comforting but dangerous illusion.

When Influencers Meet Antiquity: "Mr Beast" Sparks Debate Over Access to Mexico's Sacred Sites

           Jimmy Donaldson - "MrBeast" (Msn)          

US YouTuber Jimmy Donaldson ("MrBeast"), has stirred controversy after publishing a video in which he visited some of Mexico’s most important archaeological sites including shots from restricted areas considered sacred to Mexico’s pre-Hispanic cultures (Isabel Dempsey, 'YouTuber MrBeast sparks outrage by filming at Mexico’s archaeological sites' independent 16 May 2025). The controversy stems from the unprecedented level of access granted to Donaldson and his team. In the video, which has already garnered over 60 million views since its release on May 10, the content creator is seen entering restricted areas of pre-Hispanic heritage sites, some of which are typically off-limits to the public—and even to professional archaeologists.

At one point in the footage, MrBeast exclaims, “I can’t believe the government is letting us do this. It’s truly crazy. Not even archaeologists are allowed in here”. Among the more contentious moments is what appears to be a drone shot taken from within the sacred structure of El Castillo at Chichén Itzá as well as footage suggesting a helicopter landing near a site and Donaldson handling what seems to be an ancient ceremonial mask.

In response, Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), which operates under the country’s Ministry of Culture, clarified that the visit was authorized through formal channels. According to their statement, all filming was carried out with official permission, and in collaboration with the Mexican Ministry of Tourism. It was later revealed that the request for access did not come directly from MrBeast but through federal tourism authorities.

Even President Claudia Sheinbaum weighed in on the matter, stating on May 14 that while a permit had indeed been granted for the filming, she had requested an internal review of the conditions under which it was issued. “If the terms were violated,” she said, “then the appropriate sanctions should be considered.”

To address specific claims, INAH has denied that any drone flew within protected structures, asserting instead that shots appearing to be taken from inside were likely achieved through post-production techniques. The organization also dismissed suggestions that MrBeast landed at the sites via helicopter or handled an authentic pre-Hispanic artifact, stating that the mask shown in the video was a modern replica.

Despite the uproar, INAH expressed hope that the video might serve a positive purpose: attracting younger audiences to the rich cultural and historical legacy of Mexico’s ancient civilizations. The video has reignited ongoing debates around heritage tourism, digital media, and the ethics of influencer access to cultural patrimony for commercial purposes. "MrBeast" has yet to comment publicly.

Treasure finds in London hit record high

The latest figures from the Ministry of Justice show there were 29 treasure finds declared to coroners in 2024 in London (Adam Care, ' Treasure finds in London hit record high' Barnet Post 17 May, 2025) The reporter is excited that across England and Wales, the number of suspected treasure finds last year has reached a new all-time high of 1,363 and the number of treasure finds reported in London has hit a record high, new figures show. The latest figures from the Ministry of Justice show there were 29 treasure finds declared to coroners in 2024 in London. This was more than the year before, when there were five. The figures also show across England and Wales there were 500 inquests concluded into finds by coroners. Of these, 98% (491) returned a conclusion of treasure, an increase from 96% in 2023

But Keith Westcott, founder of the Detectorists Institute and Foundation, which represents metal detectorists across the UK, warned caring for historical items “places a significant financial burden on museums and local heritage bodies”, while funding for conservation is “regrettably, in decline”. He said: “If we are to ensure that culturally important finds [...] not only reported but meaningfully preserved and studied, urgent attention must be given to supporting the institutions that care for them. “Detectorists are increasingly aware of their role in stewardship—a principle the DIF actively promotes through education and the development of professional standards—but this must be matched by national support for the heritage infrastructure that underpins responsible discovery.”

'Detectorists are increasingly aware of their role in stewardship' - 'Is that all of them Mr Westcott, or a minority, it'd be nice if you could be more specific. Of course museums need more funding nationally, but a lot of that money tends to come from regional budgets. It would be a great saving if the money for looking after the things dug up by hobbyist explorers went towards the cnservation and preservaton of the finds. Artefact hunters say they are not despoiling the archaeological record, but ":preserving the past", but perhaps their role in that cannot be considered completed the moment they habnd it over to somebody else to look after.

Hat tip Dave Coward.

Polish Metal Detectorists Fight On

'Ciemna Strona Archeobiznesu Cz. 4' ["The DARK SIDE of the Archaeo-business part 4"] - Trailer Lots of pictures of roadworks... and loud, over-dramatic music in this next part of a long-running series of a hostile dirt-digging online "dialogue of the deaf" between Polish tekkies and arkies.

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Posted on You Tube by Polski Związek Eksploratorów Apr 26, 2025    

Why is this happening everywhere? Who, objectively, not rhetorically, is defending whose "interests"? Who can and should mediate - and on what basis - when the "discussion" is mired in the rut it is? 

Moscow Metro Installs Replica of Stalin Monument

Recent years have seen a steady rehabilitation of Jozef Stalin in Russia under President Vladimir Putin. Now Moscow’s Metro has installed a replica of a monument to the Soviet dictator Josef Stalin that had been removed in a purge of his memory during the Soviet Union’s de-Stalinization campaign in the 1960s (Moscow Metro Installs Replica of Stalin Monument May 15, 2025)

The life-sized bas-relief had been unveiled in 1950 at Taganskaya Station but was dismantled in the 1960s. The removal made way for a new transfer corridor, and the original sculpture is believed to have been destroyed. “Experts are currently recreating the composition from archival photographs and documents. We plan to complete the work in the near future,” Moscow’s Metro had said in a statement released Saturday. The monument was unveiled to the public on Thursday, following Victory Day celebrations last week and the 90th anniversary of the Moscow Metro, which was first opened during the height of Stalin’s rule. Architectural historian Alexander Zinoviyev said several key elements of the original relief were not preserved in the recreation, including the ceramic panel, certain colors and ornamental details around the edges. “Ultimately, this resulted in more of an ideological gesture than a genuine attempt to restore the historical architectural appearance,” Zinoviyev wrote on Telegram.

The new work seems a rather stiff composition, it would be interesting to compare it with the original work in the Socialist-Realism style.

No treasure finds reported in North Central London

Adam Care, 'No treasure finds reported in North Central London'  MSN 14 May 2025. 

Mr Care seems to have hit on a winning formula for news 'gap fillers' it's the same article with just a few words changed.

The latest figures from the Ministry of Justice show there were no treasure finds declared to coroners in 2024 in North Central London. There were also none the year before.

He gets the definition of Treasure wrong though.

No treasure finds reported in South London

There were no treasure finds reported in South London last year, new figures show (Adam Care, 'No treasure finds reported in South London'  MSN 14 May 2025)

The latest figures from the Ministry of Justice show there were no treasure finds declared to coroners in 2024 in South London. There was one the year before.

Shock-horror. And in Bromley, Sonja Tutty, writes ' No treasure discoveries in South London since 2018', London World 16th May 2023,

Detectorists in South London have not reported any treasure discoveries since 2018, new figures show – despite a national increase. Figures from the Ministry of Justice show one treasure find was reported to South London Coroner's Court, which is responsible for holding treasure inquests, in 2018. It is the only recorded discovery in the area in the past decade.

This is despite a national increase in finds in recent years. Across England and Wales, 2022 saw a 20% increase in treasure finds on the year before with 1,087 reported to coroners. It is the highest number of discoveries since records began in 1997.

In London, four treasure finds were reported to coroners' courts last year.[...]
The Ministry of Justice said the number of treasure finds reported steadily increased from 1997 when the Treasure Act was introduced, up to 2017. But since 2018 the number has been "more volatile" and was impacted by Covid-19 restrictions in recent years.

It added: "There has been a big surge in metal detecting activity during (and also since) the pandemic.

There is then something more on the increase in finds:

Keith Westcott, founder of the Institute of Detectorists, said: "It was definitely the lockdown periods that brought the idea and interest of metal detecting to a lot of people who were sat at home, all day indoors thinking of what would give them a reason to get outdoors."

However, Mr Westcott added the growing interest in detecting must also be met with awareness of the hobby's requirements and responsibilities

"Probably as little as 10% of what's found is recorded, so a dramatic improvement in that is needed if interest continues to grow," he said..

"People see these finds as objects of interest, but in reality it is part of an archeologic record of the area it was found in. So there has to be an understanding of the context around whatever is found." 

Such vopices in British metal detecting are rare - despite what starry-eyed supportive arkies will tell you.

hat tip Dave Coward

Looting Hits Anundshög Sweden's Largest Burial Site

Photo: Västerås stad

In Sweden, 'Looting Hits Sweden's Largest Burial Site Anundshög'  (Sweden Herald 7th May 2025). The site at Anundshög, Sweden's largest ancient burial site, has been subjected to a severe bout of grave looting. The police have now set up a criminal investigation and determined that about fifty pits have been dug in the hill. The looting was discovered when an archaeologist who was also a teacher took a school party to see the site  as part of a lesson.

The looting occurred on the evening of May 5th or early morning the next day. It seems that an artefact hunter went over the site with a metal detector and where the detector has given a signal, they have dug with a spade, lifted away a turf, found an object and taken it with them. The looters had probably taken iron objects with them since there are traces of rust and corrosion in the soil. But what they have taken with them exactly, we do not know and we will probably not be able to find out – it is just gone. The site has not been excavated archaeologically yet, so the objects that have been removed could have provided vital information about the Viking Age and Bronze Age. This one action in just a few hours had destroyed something that had been lying here for thousands of years. Who the looters were is unclear – but they have tried to leave as few traces as possible by putting back the turfs. The incident has been reported to the County Administrative Board, which has conducted an inspection. The police also rushed to the cultural heritage site and began door-to-door questioning in the area to gather more information.

Culture Minister Parisa Liljestrand on her social media that the event makes her "damn furious". "This is not just theft: this is a downright despicable vandalism of our common cultural heritage", she adds.

European Dilemma: Awkward When you Find Stuff you can't just Slip in Your Pocket

 

Marius Mangeac and the coins (photo Marius Mangeac via Facebook)

Why would you "stumble across" a hoard of Treasure when ?going for a walk"? When you live in an EU  country that requires you to have a permit to go looking for archaeological artefacts with a metal detector (Andrea Margolis, 'Man stumbles across hoard of priceless coins while out for nature walk: 'Face to face with history' Fox News May 11, 2025)

An ordinary spring day quickly became extraordinary after a nature-loving metal detectorist unearthed a cache of ancient treasure. Marius Mangeac confirmed the discovery to Fox News Digital. He said he found the hoard in a field near Letca Veche, a small village in southern Romania. In a Facebook group, Mangeac said that he found the coins "on a beautiful Saturday that didn't foreshadow anything of what was to come." "I took my detector and went out alone, as I often do, for exercise and to relax in the fields and forests," he wrote in his post, which was translated from Romanian to English. "I didn't think this day would surprise me and bring me face to face with history." But suddenly his metal detector began beeping – and soon, Mangeac was looking at a hoard of 1,469 Roman coins. [...] After two strenuous days of photographing the coins, he handed them over to the town hall in Letca Nouă.

There is no mention one way or another of any search permit or the fate of any previous objects he might have found  while on a nature walk when he "just happened" (as one does) to take his metal detector with him without applying for any permit for the search first. 

Norton Disney Dodecahedron PAS Public Record LIN-BC9890

Here is a copy of the original database entry - made with PUBLIC MONEY as part of the public record of the common archaeological heritage:

DODECAHEDRON

Unique ID: LIN-BC9890

Object type certainty: Certain
Workflow status: Published 

A complete cast copper-alloy dodecahedron dating to the Roman period (c. AD 43-410). Type 1b.

This object was discovered during a controlled archaeological investigation by a local History and Archaeology Group and Allen Archaeology and was recovered from a pit described by the excavators as a quarry infilled with debris as a midden. Other finds include a box-flue tile fragment, grey-ware pottery, roof tile debris and animal teeth. Photographs and information were kindly provided by Lorena Hitchens who is currently undertaking a PhD on the topic of dodecahedrons. The object has not been handled by the recorder. Photographs are the copyright of Lorena Hitchens.

Description

Dodecahedra are characterised by their openwork (hollow) 12-sided form. Each face is a pentagon with equilateral sides, pierced with a different-sized circular hole Sometimes, faces are decorated with markings surrounding the holes or on the faces or edges. Each vertex, or corner where three sides meet, has a semi-spherical knob, totalling 20 when completely intact. All are roughly the size of an adult human fist, which, it should be noted, can vary widely, from 5cm to 11cm in diameter.

The casting is of high quality, with no cracks, gaps or voids from manufacturing are visible.

This example closely aligns with "1b" style (based on the 1907 typology developed by de Saint-Venant, later refined by Grenier in 1996, then Guggenberger in 1999). Type 1b is defined by a varying number of concentric rings per face, with up to 12 faces decorated; the Norton Disney object is decorated on all 12 faces. Face A, with the largest hole, has one ring. Face J, the face with the smallest hole, has three rings; all other faces have two rings. There are no other markings or stamps inside or outside the
object. The holes on the faces are graduated with slight differences in size

Measurements

Height: 80 mm, Height (without knobs): 70 mm; Width: 86 mm (without knobs) 75 mm; Weight: 254g. Side length of faces: 27 mm. 

Discussion

This is the first example to have been found in the Midlands (stratified or unstratified) and is an exceptionally large example, although it is thought that a larger example is located in the British Museum, although this has been resized on three occasions. It has an unusually large lead content. Lead is required to make it flow into the mould, but this amount makes it fairly impractical for use. 

This is the 10th example recorded on the national PAS database - with it being the first for Lincolnshire and the Midlands. For similar complete or near complete examples see YORYM-41CD72 and BH-692011

What are they? 

The function of these enigmatic forms is still unclear and no firm conclusions have been reached. Suggestions as to their function include: candleholders, polygonal dice, rangefinders, sceptre heads and surveying instruments.

XRF testing data
Gerry McDonnell tested the object with pXRF on 14 Sept 2023. Details regarding the device, settings, targets, calibration, etc., can be found in the separate specialist report from Gerry McDonell Archaeometals Consulting. The following results were communicated verbally to the author:

● Copper (Cu) 63%
● Lead (Pb) 26%
● Tin (Sn) 8%
● Zinc (Zn) 0.2%
● Iron (Fe) trace

These elements are typical of late Romano-British 'leaded gunmetal' cast objects made of mixed recycled copper-alloy metal objects. The lead proportion is high even for typical leaded gunmetal. This may be a random result from the recycling of other metal objects/scrap or an intentional decision by the maker to add more lead. Lead helps the liquid metal "flow" well into nooks and crannies of 3-dimensional object moulds (Bayley and Butcher 2004:15). Decreasing zinc availability from the mid-1st century AD onward could indicate, if
cross-referenced with other dating methods, a later date for this object (Bayley, Crossley, and Ponting 2008:49). By the latter half of the Empire, zinc was nearly unavailable in Roman
Britain, with zinc only present in copper-alloys due to the recycling of earlier brass objects. Iron can exist in trace amounts in other metal elements, or the iron trace detected by XRF may stem from surface contamination. In either case, the iron detected here is unlikely to result from any intentional alloying.

References

Bayley, J., and Butcher, S. (2004) Roman brooches in Britain: a technological and typological study based on the Richborough Collection. London: Society of Antiquaries of
London.

Bayley, J., Crossley, D. and Ponting, M. (ed.s) (2008) Metals and Metalworking: a research framework for archaeometallurgy. London: Historical Metallurgy Society Occasional
Publication No 6.

Guggenberger, M. (1999) Die römischen Dodekaeder. Eine Gesamtdarstellung (Dipl.Universität Innsbruck).

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 data for any models.

Find of note status

This is a find of note and has been designated: Regional importance

Subsequent actions

Current location of find: Norton Disney History and Archaeology Groups / Allen Archaeology
Subsequent action after recording: Returned to finder

Chronology

Broad period: ROMAN
Period from: ROMAN  
Period to: ROMAN  
Date from: Circa AD 43
Date to: Circa AD 410

Dimensions and weight

Quantity: 1
Height: 80 mm
Width: 86 mm
Weight: 254 g

Discovery dates

Date(s) of discovery: Thursday 15th June 2023

Personal details

This information is restricted for your access level.

Materials and construction

Primary material: Copper alloy  
Manufacture method: Cast  
Completeness: Complete  

Spatial metadata

Region: East Midlands (European Region)
County or Unitary authority: Lincolnshire (County)
District: North Kesteven (District)
To be known as: Norton Disney

Spatial coordinates

Grid reference source: From finder
Unmasked grid reference accurate to a 1 metre square.

Discovery metadata

Method of discovery: Controlled archaeological investigation (stratified) 
Current location: Norton Disney History and Archaeology Groups / Allen Archaeology
General landuse: Cultivated land 

References cited

[object referred to here Record ID: NMGW-063819  with a broken link]

The link now goes to this in the PAS databaseUnavailable record: LIN-BC9890
Object type: DODECAHEDRON
Broad period: ROMAN
Institution responsible: LIN
Workflow stage: Quarantine Find in quarantine

Relevant FLOs

Lisa Brundle
Created: About one year ago
Last updated: About one month ago
This record is currently unavailable to view for your access levels. Please contact the relevant FLO to gain access.

Treasure Hoard Unearthed in Czech forest on Hiking Trip

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Two people described as "tourists" on a "hike" have discovered in the Czech Republic a 7 kg hoard of treasure hidden in a stone mound containing gold coins, jewellery, and tobacco pouches (Tomasz Sąsiada, 'Treasure trove unearthed in Czech forest valued at £256,000' Daily Wrap 3 May 2025 )

According to the Museum of East Bohemia in Hradec Králové on Facebook, where the treasure was taken, the discovery occurred in February this year. "Two caches in a stone mound on the edge of a now non-existent field overgrown with forest were discovered by two finders during a hiking trip on the south-western slope of Zvičina Hill," read the Facebook post. [...] The treasure [...] was discovered in two containers. An aluminium jar contained 598 gold coins wrapped in black fabric [...] About a yard away, a metal box was also found containing 16 tobacco pouches, bracelets, and other items. Experts from the museum claim that the coins were buried in the ground for over a hundred years and date from 1808 to 1921. They include currency from France, Belgium, the Ottoman Empire, and Austria-Hungary. However, there are no Czech or German coins. The found items are currently being analysed to determine their origin and metal composition.

This is possibly the spoils from a 1920s burglary (or maybe 1940s Nazi looting) hidden for safekeeping. No mention is made of any "detection" tools used while "hiking" in the Czech forest...