11th September 2007, 10:54 PM
Good points... Dean... all the nearly 700 artefacts recorded at Water Newton were from the plough soil and none were found deeper than 300mm... most a lot less.
Alfie... it would be the same as asking an archaeological company ... the finds in the topsoil... that was stripped off... if I decided to monitor by sending in a metal detectorist and scanning the spoilheap... would I accuse the contractor of destroying archaeology? Of deliberately not collecting finds? Or do we just turn a half blind eye to archaeologcal contractors not recovering artefacts from the topsoil? (some do, but many don't.. ) here is a recent quote from a couple..
it continues
Now I ain't going to name detectorists, archaeological contractors or the sites... BUT... if the detectorists had not gone over the spoilheaps, the finds (some of them absolutely stunning) would have been missed by the contractors (one could say they had already been missed as they were JCB'd out...
So what do we do?? Dual standards? Or support the recording of the topsoil? Will you now require as a standard that detectroists go over a site BEFORE trenches are dug... or will you be willing to stand up and say to contractors that don't... you are deliberatly ignoring artefacts?
I am, as you say bound by standards... If you define archaeology as beneath the plough soil and damage to undamaged archaeology is wrong then I agree... If you define archaeology as within the ploughsoil, then will you ensure that contractors first carry out a full recovery of finds (3D located) from the topsoil?
tricky?
}
"No job worth doing was ever done on time or under budget.."
Khufu
Alfie... it would be the same as asking an archaeological company ... the finds in the topsoil... that was stripped off... if I decided to monitor by sending in a metal detectorist and scanning the spoilheap... would I accuse the contractor of destroying archaeology? Of deliberately not collecting finds? Or do we just turn a half blind eye to archaeologcal contractors not recovering artefacts from the topsoil? (some do, but many don't.. ) here is a recent quote from a couple..
Quote:quote:A couple of weeks ago I walked over and got chatting to the gang of archies carrying out a proper dig on the site. Turns out they are going to be working over a large area for the next xxxxx! They are a friendly bunch and the Head Honcho has given xxxxx and xxxxx permission to detect over the whole site, provisos being that we only go over there whilst they are working which is Mon to Fri 9-5. There are trenches everywhere and they have made multiple finds of all sorts of pottery and other artefacts.
We went for the first time yesterday and started detecting the spoil heaps.
I found a nice pot/cauldron leg and a lovely copper alloy Roman bracelet plus a couple of unrecognisable grots. Unfortunately I never got a chance to photograph them before handing them over for recording.
it continues
Quote:quote:We had a similar thing xxxxxxxxx, we were allowed on the spoil heaps when the archies were there.... We found 2 staters, hundreds of spindle whorls, and loads of flints, eyes only. It was a good liaison between us. it all stared with a chance meeting of some of the archies in the local pub!
Now I ain't going to name detectorists, archaeological contractors or the sites... BUT... if the detectorists had not gone over the spoilheaps, the finds (some of them absolutely stunning) would have been missed by the contractors (one could say they had already been missed as they were JCB'd out...
So what do we do?? Dual standards? Or support the recording of the topsoil? Will you now require as a standard that detectroists go over a site BEFORE trenches are dug... or will you be willing to stand up and say to contractors that don't... you are deliberatly ignoring artefacts?
I am, as you say bound by standards... If you define archaeology as beneath the plough soil and damage to undamaged archaeology is wrong then I agree... If you define archaeology as within the ploughsoil, then will you ensure that contractors first carry out a full recovery of finds (3D located) from the topsoil?
tricky?
}"No job worth doing was ever done on time or under budget.."
Khufu