tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8174756573570334952.post601217109319644061..comments2024-03-18T12:47:37.136-07:00Comments on Portable Antiquity Collecting and Heritage Issues: Thoughts on a UK Metal Detectorist's "History is for all of us"Paul Barfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10443302899233809948noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8174756573570334952.post-23969443812228464282015-01-31T09:59:48.135-08:002015-01-31T09:59:48.135-08:00Ah, yes, the fact that you are stateside slipped m...Ah, yes, the fact that you are stateside slipped my mind. The societies was rather more addressed to a UK-based one, I do not know how they look over there. <br /><br />A booklist of how-to literature on the US market would be interesting to see, if you get one from somebody, please share it.<br /><br />Good luck (archaeology is fascinating)!<br />Paul Barfordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10443302899233809948noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8174756573570334952.post-69339630201661251432015-01-31T09:27:26.295-08:002015-01-31T09:27:26.295-08:00Paul. Thank you for the resource information. I...Paul. Thank you for the resource information. I'm from the states but being near DC I'm sure there is a local society I could join to learn more. I will also check out the reading list and see what is available at my local used bookstore. Hopefully on my next visit I'll have a little more knowledge under my belt thanks to your thoughtful reply. Thank you again. Brian Curtisshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10447566502495644288noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8174756573570334952.post-53658419013867166412015-01-30T20:18:37.812-08:002015-01-30T20:18:37.812-08:00Thanks for the comment. My first response to your ...Thanks for the comment. My first response to your question is bound to be: <b>How about addressing this question to the seventeen-million pound "Scheme" you have paid for which aims to: "Increase opportunities for active public involvement in archaeology and strengthen links between metal detector users and archaeologists". Where is their booklist and list of resources?</b><br /><br />Of course it is no use chasing rainbows, the professional "Scheme" has done bugger all real outreach in this area for coming up to two decades, it sacked its education officer years ago and is unlikely to suddenly wake out of two decades of torpor and produce that resource in its declining years.<br /><br />Time Team used to have a page of resources that put the PAS to shame. It seems to have gone now.<br /><br />As I repeatedly say, Britain is extremely well-served by its archaeologists with books of the "how to do amateur archaeology" ilk. You are spoilt for choice, and it is difficult to choose from them depending on what a person needs). Just go to a big second hand bookshop and/or library and browse, see what 'speaks to' you. I give a booklist for surface survey here:<br />http://paul-barford.blogspot.com/2014/03/what-pas-is-not-telling-you.html<br /><br />There are a number of general textbooks (some now a bit out of date) but for a general well-written and kosher introduction I am a great fan of Tony Robinson and Mick Aston's book "Archaeology is Rubbish: A Beginners Guide" (Channel 4 Books ISBN-13: 978-0752215303) as a starting point.<br /><br />Join an active amateur archaeology society, pay the subscriptions and try to go along to every talk, meet people, talk with them. That's what they are there for. Many are little old ladies, tea-and-cakey, but have among them knowledgeable members too. Treasure the opportunity, Britain has a specific tradition in these, they don't exist in many countries.<br /><br />"I have seen you characterized on other blogs as a elitist academic, ...<br /><br />Yes, it is easy for the airheads to suggest that there is criticism of bad practice in artefact hunting and antiquities collecting (or the trade) because of ..."bitterness", "jealousy", "frustration at personal failure in life", that I'm "mentally ill", a "hater", allegedly a "communist agent", a and several dozen other things (some libellous) which the Black Hat Guys say about me on metal detecting forums blogs and websites. That is how they interpret posts like the one above and comments like this one. I suggest their interpretations tell us more about their own inability to analyse and think (and debate something honestly) than being a measure of what I do say or think.<br /><br />As always, listen to the bellowing airheads at your peril, checking things out and thinking things through for yourself is what intelligent enquiry is all about. Many metal detectorists and dugup antiquity collectors really do seem genuinely unable to do that which is why you get them glibly parroting the same old conveniently self-serving and substance-less guff they heard from a "M8" on the forums and passing it off as incontrovertible 'fact'.<br /><br /><br />Paul Barfordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10443302899233809948noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8174756573570334952.post-56621810793407702822015-01-30T19:10:25.785-08:002015-01-30T19:10:25.785-08:00I have seen you characterized on other blogs as a ...I have seen you characterized on other blogs as a elitist academic, but your statement that good archaeology can be done by amateurs seems to disprove that. Some may think archaeology is the domain of the university trained only. As you point out, it need not be so. And ease forgive me for asking before seeking out the answer myself but I thought your experience would be helpful - what are good resources to learn about archaology? I realize no web sources would be the same as actually university training, but as I write this, I realize that as much time as I spend reading about various antiquities related topics, I knkw very little about proper techniques and what the proper handling of a site reveals, and how it's done. What would be some good sources of information to learn about how that's done? I realize there is a reason people pay good money to learn this at universities. But I'm sure there must be good resources on the I ternst to at least become somewhat knowledgable? I know some, but not much, and I think I and others would benefit if you could post some links that describe proper excavation, how it's done, the process, what is learned and how, mistakes that could be made and their impact. Sometimes people do things, that if they knew better, they wouldn't. And actually seeing the proper way, theres little excuse for not knowing better except not trying.<br /><br />What are some good resources, online or otherwise, for your readers to educate themselves about fieldwork and the arceological process? <br /><br />Thanks,<br /><br />Brian Curtiss Brian Curtisshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10447566502495644288noreply@blogger.com