Bringing amateur archeology into the fold

An article in the Art Newspaper discusses how reform of treasure trove law in Britain has had notable results:

Mr Bradshaw duly reported the discovery of the Ringlemere cup, and the British Museum compensated him, after research, for its full market value. Now the vessel is one of the 350 objects included in an exhibition at the British Museum opening on 21 November (until 14 March 2004) which celebrates the contribution of amateurs to Britain’s archaeological heritage.

Some countries, such as Italy, demonise the amateur. Officially, anything found in the ground in Italy is State property and the finder is entitled only to one quarter of its market value, a less than generous compensation system that many believe has helped fuel a prosperous illicit market. Why settle for a State payment that could take years to obtain when you can get an immediate cash payment by selling your find on the black market?

Data collected in England and Wales in 2000 suggests that there was a tenfold increase in reported treasure after the Act was passed, and the 2003 annual report suggests that a 15-fold increase is more accurate.

The article points out a peculiarity of the British law, in which archeological finds are governed by a centuries-old definition of "treasure" that is -- at least for the present -- restricted to precious metals:

The Act only applies to around 1% of archaeological finds. Those who discover anything else, be they ceramics, bones or Renaissance base metal objects, are not required to hand them over.

There is, however, another initiative in place since 1999, the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS), which encourages amateur archeologists (or casual discoverers) to record their finds:

The scheme, which was publicised at its inception with 120,000 leaflets distributed to the amateur archaeological community, has been phenomenally successful, according to its annual report published last month. Over 100,000 objects have been recorded under the PAS, and the annual report’s comparative studies suggest that the presence of a PAS liaison in a county increases reports up to fivefold. A Heritage Lottery Fund grant of 2002, which becomes active this year, will ensure 46 officers throughout England and Wales until 2006

Posted by David on November 10, 2003 9:35 AM