tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3137246730421866659.post3222780109938005426..comments2023-10-09T06:54:04.099-06:00Comments on Past Times and Present Tensions: In praise of metal detecting. 10. The big pictureJohn Hooker FSAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10001080340384925879noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3137246730421866659.post-70426967057844847732014-07-18T10:20:56.211-06:002014-07-18T10:20:56.211-06:00Thank you James, I am deeply touched -- and humble...Thank you James, I am deeply touched -- and humbled, by what you say. My utterances are nothing compared with the work -- on the ground, of such people as Tony Gregory and Henry Mossop in the UK.<br /><br />What you are doing, in the US, is just as important, but you have an even more difficult task ahead of you than people like Gregory because you face more opposition. However, even as a Canadian, I have great faith in the know-how of the American people -- A bit less for your government though ;-). Still, what is democracy if it is not the people?<br /><br />Detractors of metal-detecting are giving archaeology a bad name, and they do not seem to realize this. Working together produces results far in excess of what can be achieved by either, alone as it brings together very different people -- people with different viewpoints, experiences and skills. I have known metal detectorists who have had a far greater knowledge of the history of their region than any "ivory tower" academic in the same region. Even the field archaeologist rarely has the opportunity to see so much of the land and see the big picture.<br /><br />And like you say, there is more to it than just archaeology -- you guys are helping grandma find her lost ring, inspiring people to appreciate their histories and even helping to put criminals in jail. I'm just a writer, but if I can inspire people such as yourself even more, then my life has a real and practical value too. So I thank you for this. Great to meet a "pioneer" too!<br /><br />With gratitude and admiration,<br /><br />JohnJohn Hooker FSAhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10001080340384925879noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3137246730421866659.post-34553576482986151692014-07-18T09:10:10.837-06:002014-07-18T09:10:10.837-06:00Well done...I have read the entire series and have...Well done...I have read the entire series and have been quite taken with the way you have put forth one of the (maybe ONLY) defense of the hobby and passion of metal detecting and the folks that do it. I have been putting the "coil to soil" for many years, having started when I was about 14 in 1966 with a home built machine, cobbled together from the remains of an AM radio, a broomstick and birdhouse (a long story) to now, using a computerized Minelab E-Trac digital metal detector. Back then, the hobby had not drawn the accrued animosity of tunnel-visioned archaeologists and inflated politicos that we have to contend with today, especially here in the decomposing remains of personal freedom in what was once the United States. Your series hit the nail on the head and I am handing printed copies out to the metal detecting clubs here in central Florida. We rarely have the words, let alone the means, to halt the pompous clowning of certain archaeological groups. This is not to say that we, as a group, despise or dislike archaeologists or the work they attempt to do...far from it. There have been many instances of archaeologists and detectorists working together toward a common goal with excellent results, and indeed, many metal detecting hobbyists have entered the hobby through the love of history, with an abiding interest in the work of archaeologists in general. Our club members regularly make artifacts available to our local museums and Historical Societies along with records of when and where it was found. We have had several cases where a local historical society will ask us to see if we can locate certain artifacts from certain areas for the museum. One such request was to see if we could locate century-old brass baggage tags with the name of the town's only railroad ever built. Our club and associated members have returned thousands, upon thousands of dollars worth of lost jewelry to their rightful owners, help solve crimes for the local police departments (solved a murder by finding brass shell casings the police had not been able to find in a week of searching) and believe we are providing areal community service through our efforts. We discover coins and artifacts during road excavations that are turned over to museum curators that tell the history and use of roads that were not known before we examined it, with no archaeologist even slightly interested in examining some of these historic byways. One thing that metal detectorists are getting better at is research...and there is at least one case where that research has helped an archaeologist find something they were looking for where the detectorist provided the information they were seeking. The ridiculous myth that only a scholar with a PhD is qualified to find and evaluate historical artifacts has probably lost us more chances to examine historical remains when they become available, than all the grave diggers and looters in history. The current feelings among such groups is "If we can't have it, nobody can have it..." and time and time again, they would literally rather that these resources be lost for all time, "...conserved in situ." I believe is the term for letting it slowly disintegrate away, primarily because a small minority will never find the time or financial means to retrieve, examine or catalog it. Thanks for the great 10-part series John...we all enjoyed it immensely.James Fieldinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03129455907025336719noreply@blogger.com