tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8174756573570334952.post8910641458288115129..comments2024-03-27T04:46:33.198-07:00Comments on Portable Antiquity Collecting and Heritage Issues: Coin dealer says Archaeologists Should Compromise and Let Them Get the Loot TooPaul Barfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10443302899233809948noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8174756573570334952.post-68431668097938823012009-09-17T08:02:32.797-07:002009-09-17T08:02:32.797-07:00Oh please, let us not entertain even a tiny suspic...Oh please, let us not entertain even a tiny suspicion that this is "all the fault of archaeologists for not explaining it properly".<br /><br />I'm not an archaeologists yet I managed to grasp the concept of conservation and shared cultural heritage and duty to others at a very early stage. I don't recall archaeologists having to explain it to me. In fact, I suspect there are only a tiny minority of people that have the least difficulty with the concept. <br /><br />The PAS has been outreaching to metal detectorists for eleven years, yet most of them don't respond to the call to act responsibly. Archaeologists have been highlighting that collecting without making sincere efforts to establish where items come from is selfish and destructive for even longer yet many dealers and their customers still pretend they don't quite get it.<br /><br />No. The blame lies not with the message but with those who deliberately ignore or misunderstand or attack it.Marcus Preenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03603874627751387853noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8174756573570334952.post-32256799552745829252009-09-16T15:19:12.419-07:002009-09-16T15:19:12.419-07:00Thanks for that and links to two thought provoking...Thanks for that and links to two thought provoking pieces. I must say I have never been to an archaeological conference in an open-sided marquee in such a beautiful landscape. I've definitely missed out there. Your "I'm leaving Chaco" post was great, but hey, take that post processualism with a big pinch of salt please. <br /><br />As for the "oilmen" there was a little bit of intended irony there bearing in mind this blog is read both sides of the Atlantic...Paul Barfordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10443302899233809948noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8174756573570334952.post-2649591383811596322009-09-16T14:41:34.916-07:002009-09-16T14:41:34.916-07:00Is this the fault of archaeology I wonder, are we ...<em>Is this the fault of archaeology I wonder, are we failing to get the message over about what archaeology is and what archaeologists do? If so, what should we be doing about it? (Who should be doing it?)</em><br /><br /><a href="http://gamblershouse.wordpress.com/2009/08/07/pecos-2009-day-one/" rel="nofollow">Craig Childs</a> has some thoughts on this, as do <a href="http://gamblershouse.wordpress.com/2009/08/01/where-i-go-from-here/" rel="nofollow">I</a>.<br /><br /><em>Could one say that an ecology-centric perspective should not be central to society's overall approach to the exploitation of the natural environment, because that is what the oilmen, factory owners and loggers think?</em><br /><br />People can and do say this, of course, and in the US this is probably the dominant position in the political discourse on environmental issues. Which is absurd, of course, but that's where we are. I'd say it's an apt comparison that supports your point well.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com