Dissertations and Detecting: Using PAS Material for Further Analysis
Channel: Recording Archaeology
Date: 20/07/2019

The presentation discusses ongoing PhD research using the Portable Antiquities Scheme as its primary source of data, principally, dress accessories from Viking-Age Lincolnshire to provide new insights into the production of Early Medieval copper alloys. Many of the items after being recorded on the PAS are then returned to the metal detectors. Therefore most research can be done using the entries on the PAS database. Closer analyses of the items, such as XRF, has required researchers, such as myself, to be in contact and work closely with the metal detectors. This continued research leads to a reliance on the positive relationships cultivated by archaeologists and museums in the area and overcomes other biases the occur in the PAS database. Overall, this presentation will discuss the vital role metal detecting has played in archaeology and the issues with ownership over these items using my PhD research as a case study.

Kathryn Z Libby (University of Sheffield)

TAG Deva 2018
Session: Fighting for our Finds from Discovery to Display