29th December 2005, 10:37 PM
Quote:quote:STEVE-B, what is your response to Paul Barford's assertion that the essential difference between MDs/Artefact Hunters and Archaeologists is that the MD/AH is in pursuit of the construction of a private artefact collection while the Archaeologist pursues the dissemination of knowledge to the general public through the pursuit of guideline controlled fieldwork?
Beerbeast, great name by the way...
As I have mentioned in another thread, Paul is actually stating the blindingly obvious. Of course we are driven by different goals..same as the early prot archaeologists were driven by different goals in your professions infancy....and just like them I believe that we are starting to see small but progressive changes in as you call us, artefact hunters, demonstrably so as Gary, Pete, I amd others are promoting recording and the setting of standards.
The first thing we all have to accept is that metal detecting is not archaeology, dispite claims that detecing is taking finds out of archaeological context, in 99% of the cases this just is not so, like it or not, most detecting finds are those that have no other context than the topsoil of the field they now lie in, untilwe find them, 99% of the time in foelds that most arhcaeologists will never visit.
Artefact hunting if used properly cqan b utilised to fill in the gaps in between the pucker in context archaeological sites.
The topic of private collecting is subjective to each individauls moralistic code, although I see your (archaeologists) perspective, it is not one I can subscribe to, one because I feel that diversity of collections leads to diversity of thought... and without this thne all understanding is stagnant and dead...
Secondly, if you deny private colecting, where do you stop...soley with your own selfish definition of antiquities...or should you not take it to Nth degree and ban all private ownership..afer all I am sure there are others in the world, that are against other areas of private ownership, be it classic cars, lather shoes, or the house you live in... you only wish to limit it to antiquities as that is your particular area of interest... commendable but some might argueselfish and elitist.
Now we can spend the rest of eternity arguing about the crap that gets us nowehere or we can accept each others failings.. for the time being.... and explore the ways in which we can work together.
In discussing this point, what have we resolved..in what way have we safegaurded detecting finds that will be made tomorrow?
Why did you not ask the question..how can we work together on setting standards and promoting recording?
Surely this would have ben more productive in the long term... if we can work together in the short term on less ambitious areas then this will only go to make it allthe more easier to work together in more important areas... why walk before we can run...