A strength of the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) is that it is a partnership project, managed by the British Museum in England, involving over 100 local and national organisations. Across England and Wales, the PAS now has 70 staff, of which a majority are fulltime Finds Liaison Officers (FLOs) supported by part-time Finds Liaison Assistants (FLAs). These are all employed and hosted locally, which brings many advantages, especially in terms of support and opportunities.
Category: News
The Treasure Act 1996 and Supporting Museum Acquisitions
The Treasure Act 1996 was created as a mechanism to enable important archaeological finds to be acquired by museums and to be viewed and recorded for public benefit. Most of the objects that come through as Treasure are found by members of the public and most prominently metal detectorists. The number of Treasure cases have been rising each year, with 2022 being the most Treasure cases reported in one year, reaching more than 1,300 cases in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Reasons for this vary, it could be argued that there is a wider awareness of the Treasure Act, there are more detectorists than before or technology to find Treasure has evolved. Whichever reason it is, it has given museums an opportunity to acquire more archaeological objects and the public the chance to view and learn more about objects found in their local area.
Museum Acquisitions
As Finds Liaison Officer for Buckinghamshire, I’m based in Discover Bucks Museum in Aylesbury, and work closely with the museum. As I’m based at the Museum stores I get to see and work with the archaeology collection, and work with our Keeper of Archaeology, Brett Thorn. Objects are acquired through two main routes; directly from a finder contacting us about an object, or through the Treasure Process, either of which can be a donation.
How to take good photographs of your artefact
Sending in photographs is a useful way of making a preliminary assessment of the artefact anyway. This necessitates that the finder carry out some measurement as well as providing the photograph.
Four more titles to read more about the Portable Antiquities Scheme, the objects recorded on the database and the landscapes in which they were discovered
Following on from yesterday’s post, here are four more titles based on the work of the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) and the many objects recorded on the Scheme’s database.
Titles to read more about the Portable Antiquities Scheme, the objects recorded on the database and the landscapes in which they were discovered
f you wish to learn more about the work of The Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) and enjoy a good read, perhaps you will be pleased to know that many of the objects recorded on the Scheme’s database have been further researched for various publications. Here is just a selection of books where you can immerse yourself into the biographies of this material culture found by members of the public and metal detectorists.
The Portable Antiquities Schemes contribution to understanding early medieval settlement
The period following the withdrawal of the majority of troops from Roman Britain, which is usually dated to AD 410, gave rise to what was to become known to the Victorians as ‘the Dark Ages’. While it is no longer considered to be a period in which civilisation in Britain collapsed, it is true that, for generations following the Roman exit, building in stone ceased and wooden structures were the norm, and the manufacture of wheel thrown pottery was abandoned. In addition, where the Romans had maintained written records, this also largely ceased. This means that, archaeologically, metal artefacts represent some of the few clues that we have to build a picture of life in the early medieval period. Thus the contribution that the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) makes to our understanding of this period this is of great significance.
The Power of Curiosity and Sharp Eyes
At the Portable Antiquities Scheme, working with the general public remains one of the most central and defining elements of the service. Without the collaboration between our staff and finders, self-recorders and volunteers, the important work which we do could not happen. The vast majority of the small archaeological finds we process are handed in by metal detectorists, who, come rain or shine, are tirelessly searching in a manner archaeological teams would never have the time or resources to do. This provides us with a continual, ever-growing body of data which sheds light on previously unknown sites, allows us to build up distribution patterns of objects and better shed light on our collective archaeological heritage, to name a few of the many benefits.
Portable Antiquities Scheme Cymru – Engaging Audiences
In late 2022, the Portable Antiquities Scheme in Wales (PAS Cymru) established a pioneering engagement role, designed to raise the profile of the scheme and enhance relationships with finders across the country. While PAS has consistently focused on community engagement, the scope of this new role was without precedent and has presented the scheme in Wales with significant opportunities.
Archaeology in the slow lane
A big day for me, today I sent off the manuscript and illustrations for my book, ‘The Hidden Valley, Finding the Anglo-Saxons’ to Greenlight Publishing. This has been a very long time coming. We excavated the Sawcliffe ‘Sheffield’s Hill’ cemeteries 30 years ago, but I was only able to start work on writing them up five years ago, when money was found to complete the conservation. The site was discovered by metal detector users and was rapidly being destroyed by erosion and ploughing. This led the North Lincolnshire Museum, and a team of volunteers, to carry out its full excavation. We always thought that the site was important but it only became clear how important it was as I worked on the report.
