Under what circumstances is a metal detectorist officially an amateur archeologist?

[el padron]

What constitutes an "amateur archeologist", and under what circumstances could an educated, seasoned and well versed metal detectorist reasonably declare him / herself as such?

 

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[Tnmountains]

A simple question to ask yourselves:

When you metal detect and get a signal, do you dig until you find what that signal was? Then you are in no way any kind of Archaeologist (amateur or otherwise).

Archies are just like other human beings. Prone to have large egos, inflated senses of self importance, and greedy too. A story that matches perfectly with your cannon story is regarding a place on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, in a place called Tuckup Canyon. The site was known to local cowboys back into at least the early 1900s. In the 1980s, a Hurricane, Utah Cowboy and Packer named Gordon Smith also saw this native panel. It was amazing and unlike anything he had ever seen before. He decided to take pictures and send them to the National Park Service. In a letter from the head of the NPS, he was called a liar and told that no such native panel exists in America. He claimed the pictures Smith took were from Australia or New Zealand. Eventually, enough people took interest in Smith's Pictures that he was asked to pack in a rock art specialist and archaeologist. When he brought them to this site, they were speechless.

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Long story short, the rock art specialist and the archaeologist took all the credit for the find, and the National Park Service refuses to this day to acknowledge Smith's role in bringing this panel to the public. I call it by its original name "Gordon's Panel". The NPS calls it the "Shaman's Panel"

Mike

Mike after reading your post I do consider myself an ammeter archeologist even more so. The ones I hunted with said I knew more than them. I was more "site specific" was their words. I am not talking about just digging a hole here friend.

 

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[gollum]

Mike after reading your post I do consider myself an ammeter archeologist even more so. The ones I hunted with said I knew more than them. I was more "site specific" was their words. I am not talking about just digging a hole here friend.

HAHAHAHA So, you are a current sensing archaeologist?

AMMETER

Just joking. I know what you're saying (but that IS funny).

Mike

 

[TheSleeper]

A simple question to ask yourselves:

When you metal detect and get a signal, do you dig until you find what that signal was? Then you are in no way any kind of Archaeologist (amateur or otherwise).

Gollum, nothing personnel and this definitely is not a flame, but I truly do not understand what you are trying to impart here with that question.
Is it your intention to imply that an amateur or professional archaeologist would not disturb the ground, but would rather just leave the object buried, having no idea what the object was?

I mean your question is a rather biased blanket question and statement in one.

 

[gollum]

A simple question to ask yourselves:

When you metal detect and get a signal, do you dig until you find what that signal was? Then you are in no way any kind of Archaeologist (amateur or otherwise).

Gollum, nothing personnel and this definitely is not a flame, but I truly do not understand what you are trying to impart here with that question.
Is it your intention to imply that an amateur or professional archaeologist would not disturb the ground, but would rather just leave the object buried, having no idea what the object was?

I mean your question is a rather biased blanket question and statement in one.

SLEEPER,

Did you read any of my previous posts on this subject? An archaeologist does not so much dig, as excavate. That is one big difference between a metal detectorist and an archaeologist (not counting schooling and the obvious difference).

A metal detectorist will get a signal, then dig till they find what the signal was. They are only after what their detector hits on.

An archaeologist takes into account the entire area. As was mentioned by someone else, they don't dig so much as scrape. They scrape away small layers of earth at a time. They grid off an area they intend to excavate. They use dental pics and toothbrushes. When they find an item, they take pictures and make careful drawings of just how deep and exactly how the item was situated in relation to everything around it. I have been a treasure hunter for quite some time, and a detectorist for even longer. I have never met a detectorist that does that.

THAT is what I am talking about.

Mike

 

[TheSleeper]

SLEEPER,

Did you read any of my previous posts on this subject? An archaeologist does not so much dig, as excavate. That is one big difference between a metal detectorist and an archaeologist (not counting schooling and the obvious difference).

A metal detectorist will get a signal, then dig till they find what the signal was. They are only after what their detector hits on.

An archaeologist takes into account the entire area. As was mentioned by someone else, they don't dig so much as scrape. They scrape away small layers of earth at a time. They grid off an area they intend to excavate. They use dental pics and toothbrushes. When they find an item, they take pictures and make careful drawings of just how deep and exactly how the item was situated in relation to everything around it. I have been a treasure hunter for quite some time, and a detectorist for even longer. I have never met a detectorist that does that.

THAT is what I am talking about.

Mike

GOLLUM, I can use caps also, but I usually refrain from being rude.

I was rather polite in my question to you, now I'm not going to be.

I am not going to get into a pixxing match with you, I think your attitude in your reply is proof enough, ty.

Yep next target I hit, I'll bring in the back hoe and dig it out, ty very much.

I'm through with this thread.

 

[gollum]

GOLLUM, I can use caps also, but I usually refrain from being rude.

I was rather polite in my question to you, now I'm not going to be.

I am not going to get into a pixxing match with you, I think your attitude in your reply is proof enough, ty.

Yep next target I hit, I'll bring in the back hoe and dig it out, ty very much.

I'm through with this thread.

What is your problem? I wasn't being in the least bit rude. Caps don't mean yelling. Caps imply an emphasis. Yes, I placed an emphasis on your name (because my answer was pointed only to you) and on the word THAT (meaning obvious). Typing in "ALL CAPS" usually implies yelling at someone. Yes, you were polite, but it seemed as though you hadn't read my previous post where I stated the exact same thing (more or less). Nothing to do with a piXXing match. I simply answered your question emphasizing two words in my reply. If you are so easily offended, then that is your problem, not mine.

Best Wishes - Mike

 

[jeff of pa]

Amateur archaeologists digging up county's lost history - News - Republican Herald

One does not have to belong to a society to be considered an amateur archaeologist, he said, but membership can be obtained in the Society for Pennsylvania Archaeology for a small fee.

Established in 1929, the group currently has about 800 members, said society President Jim Wosochio Jr., 43.

 

[ARC]

I must "chime in"...
Personally... I consider anyone with an immense interest in the past...
and is willing to go look/dig for it... for discovery in any sort...
is yes... an archeologist in essence to some degree...
In my opinion the argument lies not in the person...
but within the "method" of finding.
It all boils down to method.
If you dig with a shovel and just throw the dirt over your shoulder. what are you ?
If you take some care in your digging... what are you ?
if you painstakingly remove granules of sand bit by bit... drawing where each pebble is... what are you ?
You are all diggers...
Just different methods of digging and recovering...
but all have same goal in mind...
To find something... worth finding.

Exploration lies within all of us.

 

[jeff of pa]

I must "chime in"...
Personally... I consider anyone with an immense interest in the past...
and is willing to go look/dig for it... for discovery in any sort...
is yes... an archeologist in essence to some degree...
In my opinion the argument lies not in the person...
but within the "method" of finding.
It all boils down to method.
If you dig with a shovel and just throw the dirt over your shoulder. what are you ?
If you take some care in your digging... what are you ?
if you painstakingly remove granules of sand bit by bit... drawing where each pebble is... what are you ?
You are all diggers...
Just different methods of digging and recovering...
but all have same goal in mind...
To find something... worth finding.

Exploration lies within all of us.

For the record

if you painstakingly remove granules of sand bit by bit... drawing where each pebble is... what are you ?

I'll wager if you do this, you are a Student in School or College, Or a citizen who read a story about
so called Professional archeologists inviting the public to join in a dig.

I personally have never seen a Professional archeologist do more then give a quick demonstration,
then sit in a tent drinking coffee & B.s'ng or occasionally walking around being hand finds
to Squirrel away before too many people see & want to handle them too.

 

[ARC]

An archeologist is a person whose career lies in ruins... heh

Most fathers tell their daughters to marry doctors...
I told mine to marry an archeologist because the older she gets,
the more interested he will be in her.

How do you embarrass an archeologist?
Give him a used tampon and ask him which period it came from.

 

[kayakpat]

 

[TheSleeper]

I personally have never seen a Professional archeologist do more then give a quick demonstration,
then sit in a tent drinking coffee & B.s'ng or occasionally walking around being hand finds
to Squirrel away before too many people see & want to handle them too.

You forgot one point Jeff: then take credit for everything.

An archeologist is a person whose career lies in ruins... heh

Most fathers tell their daughters to marry doctors...
I told mine to marry an archeologist because the older she gets,
the more interested he will be in her.

How do you embarrass an archeologist?
Give him a used tampon and ask him which period it came from.

Ahhh ARRC, you have such a lovely way with words

 

[jeff of pa]

You forgot one point Jeff: then take credit for everything.





Ahhh ARRC, you have such a lovely way with words

Yea I did think about I forgot to mention "Do Interviews" which do amount to That

 

[ARC]

Copied em from internet.
Not my words...
OH wait... one word... "Fathers"... my word...
Was "mothers".

 

[Diggin-N-Dumps]

I'd say at a minimum, a person needs to have completed some field schools or vocational digs before they can earn affiliation with the word "archeology".

Archeologist aren't "diggers" so much as "surveyors" and records custodians.

Indiana Jones was still badass though.


~Tejaas~

Yup! I love Archeology, but I wouldnt call myself an Amatuer unless I knew some basic "rules and principles" I would call my self a Relic and Treasure Hunter...or if I wanted a cool title..a History Hunter..lol

 

[el padron]

Yup! I love Archeology, but I wouldnt call myself an Amatuer unless I knew some basic "rules and principles" I would call my self a Relic and Treasure Hunter...or if I wanted a cool title..a History Hunter..lol

I would, if it meant a Mexican cop excepting a pizza for a bribe instead of taking my very expensive and under developed metal detector while arresting me for succesfully searching through the newly excavated final strech of Benito Jaurez Blvd which incidentally is the gateway to the final exit ramps of the port of San Ysidro and South San Diego County.

 

[ARC]

I would, if it meant a Mexican cop excepting a pizza for a bribe instead of taking my very expensive and under developed metal detector while arresting me for succesfully searching through the newly excavated final strech of Benito Jaurez Blvd which incidentally is the gateway to the final exit ramps of the port of San Ysidro and South San Diego County.

lol...
What kinda pizza ? large or small...
Stuffed crust ? heh

 

[el padron]

On the border district of "Revo", (avenue Revolution) , The defining Street of thie "Zona Rio" (Tijuana river zone) Alex's real New York Pizza is all the rage. Mexicans line up like it's White Castle
At least for now.
The only problem is, when he makes enough money he just closes up and doesnt reopen again for a day or two.
Mexican capitalism.
I guess he's got a pretty good life

 

[bill from lachine]

TheSleeper,

Let's just say I was on the same online course as Relevantchair.....and the arrogance and disdain towards our community was beyond belief.

After a fairly heavy dust up in the discussion section I asked them to cancel my account and walked away from the site.

As a parting shot I advised that I was involved in admin on a couple of sites and going forward I wouldn't be recommending working with them on a pro bono basis....enough said.

Regards + HH

Bill

 

[wingmaster]

When you can make an educated guess that's as good or better than they can, the guy that found that medieval hoard turn it over to the archaeologist and they will never know how or why all that stuff was where it was or how it came to be there. Your guess is as good as theirs and beyond something written down about it or someone actually being there they can only guess. Even with something written down you might be getting the way they seen it and not how it actually was, or hearsay passed from person to person. HH