please forget about standards. we live in a world where archaeology is disappearing before our eyes and we archaeologists are grateful that amateurs and metal detectorist retrieve information before it is lost. I don’t care that there might be loads of cowboys out there who abuse the system or the standards. What I think is more important is that we get the opportunity to make any record of what is being destroyed before it goes. We are not getting the opportunity. We charge far to much for a load of bullexfodder ……
When I get clients who come to me “before”, its before they have bought the land. They ask me what the archaeological costs might be. I have to go and find out what happened next door (might be a few miles away). They want me to come up with a figure. I give them a range and it goes from archaeology might not be mentioned MOST OF THE TIME by the planning authority so don’t mention it yourself to its possibly a manor next to a church and the last three times one of those was excavated “I” think that it cost ?X. They then use those figures when they negotiate the price to buy the land. What I try to put in to the negotiations is that there should be a claw back clause in the deal for any subsequent archaeology. Lets say that the vendor agrees to pay for any subsequent archaeology up to ?40000. Whats good about this situation is that you have somebody who should be cash rich in theory.
mean while lets not advise this budding arch against undertaking a watching brief, i dont care if they have never looked at a hole in the ground, it sounds like they want too, that good enough for me-wbs are not dangerous, if you find something its up to you what you do with it, dont worry about the so called curators they are...it supper time
When I get clients who come to me “before”, its before they have bought the land. They ask me what the archaeological costs might be. I have to go and find out what happened next door (might be a few miles away). They want me to come up with a figure. I give them a range and it goes from archaeology might not be mentioned MOST OF THE TIME by the planning authority so don’t mention it yourself to its possibly a manor next to a church and the last three times one of those was excavated “I” think that it cost ?X. They then use those figures when they negotiate the price to buy the land. What I try to put in to the negotiations is that there should be a claw back clause in the deal for any subsequent archaeology. Lets say that the vendor agrees to pay for any subsequent archaeology up to ?40000. Whats good about this situation is that you have somebody who should be cash rich in theory.
mean while lets not advise this budding arch against undertaking a watching brief, i dont care if they have never looked at a hole in the ground, it sounds like they want too, that good enough for me-wbs are not dangerous, if you find something its up to you what you do with it, dont worry about the so called curators they are...it supper time