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History => Ancient and Medieval History => Topic started by: Imperial Dave on February 24, 2023, 10:25:51 AM

Title: England's archaeological history gathers dust as museums fill up
Post by: Imperial Dave on February 24, 2023, 10:25:51 AM
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-64707488

and going to 'get worse' as time goes on....
Title: Re: England's archaeological history gathers dust as museums fill up
Post by: Mark G on February 24, 2023, 04:51:00 PM
Perhaps we should start offering loads of our new finds back to the places we nicked stuff from in earlier times

Title: Re: England's archaeological history gathers dust as museums fill up
Post by: Imperial Dave on February 24, 2023, 04:53:42 PM
true

here's another thought. Lets make an estimate of the space needed to house all the unpainted miniatures we hold collectively  ::)
Title: Re: England's archaeological history gathers dust as museums fill up
Post by: Erpingham on February 24, 2023, 07:20:26 PM
Perhaps a bit misleading this.  "Archaeology is rubbish" as the saying goes.  A lot of the stored material is not going to be display worthy.  Yes, there is good stuff we are not seeing but we have a huge amount of physical evidence that backs up the archaeological reports (e.g. artefacts on which the dating was based) that needs to be kept in an organised and sustainable way, in an environment that prevents deterioration.  Not rocket science but an ongoing expense.
Title: Re: England's archaeological history gathers dust as museums fill up
Post by: Imperial Dave on February 24, 2023, 07:52:40 PM
yes. My best friend texted me today to tell me he had been banned from fondling an early saxon sword after conservation. Put in the basement for however long etc
Title: Re: England's archaeological history gathers dust as museums fill up
Post by: Mark G on February 25, 2023, 08:22:31 AM
Notions of what is rubbish or not change, so we can't make that call now.

Not least because of what we're learning from what we find in literal ancient rubbish dumps.

Title: Re: England's archaeological history gathers dust as museums fill up
Post by: Imperial Dave on February 25, 2023, 08:59:35 AM
True.
Title: Re: England's archaeological history gathers dust as museums fill up
Post by: Jim Webster on February 25, 2023, 09:47:30 AM
Quote from: Imperial Dave on February 24, 2023, 07:52:40 PMyes. My best friend texted me today to tell me he had been banned from fondling an early saxon sword after conservation. Put in the basement for however long etc

Your friend or the sword?
Title: Re: England's archaeological history gathers dust as museums fill up
Post by: Denis Grey on February 25, 2023, 09:48:11 AM
Quote from: Mark G on February 25, 2023, 08:22:31 AMNotions of what is rubbish or not change, so we can't make that call now.

Not least because of what we're learning from what we find in literal ancient rubbish dumps.



I have some shards of 1st century Samian ware which my father discovered when digging out the foundations of a (Tudor) Elizabethan building in Rochester in the late 1960s.  They were, literally, just bits and pieces and the conclusion of the British museum expert who looked at them was that the Elizabethan building had been sited on top of a Roman rubbish tip.
Title: Re: England's archaeological history gathers dust as museums fill up
Post by: Imperial Dave on February 25, 2023, 10:01:10 AM
Quote from: Jim Webster on February 25, 2023, 09:47:30 AM
Quote from: Imperial Dave on February 24, 2023, 07:52:40 PMyes. My best friend texted me today to tell me he had been banned from fondling an early saxon sword after conservation. Put in the basement for however long etc

Your friend or the sword?

Well he was told to stop fondling it and get one with sorting the pottery finds. So I guess it was either him or the sword