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News: Detectors trawl mud to turn up treasures
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Submitted by vicky on Monday, 08 March 2004 Page Views: 3823
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  Metal detector users converged on a Lincolnshire field at the weekend in an effort to unearth the secrets of the past. As part of an ongoing survey, around 20 detector enthusiasts were invited to trawl through mud on farmland at Fiskerton, near Lincoln.
The initiative was set up to help archaeological research into land which runs alongside the River Witham. In the past 200 years the land has become a treasure trove of important finds - which has included iron age spearheads and tools.
Lincolnshire County Council archaeologist Adam Daubney said metal detectors play an important part in understanding our history.
"A lot of the really nice finds have been discovered since the 19th century but have not always been recorded accurately.
"When a metal detector gets a signal he will flag the location and dig for the object.
"Using GIS satellite technology we will plot the finds producing a map of the site.
"This will give us a better impression of the site and add to our historical research."
For thousands of years the field would have been sporadically flooded as the River Witham ebbed and flowed. Hundreds of artefacts are thought be hiding beneath the soil - as for centuries the Witham ferried trading ships to and from Lincoln.
Mr Daubney said it was important to locate the objects now.
"The reason the Fiskerton site has preserved artefacts so well is due to the marshy peat that surrounds the river," he said.
"It's perfect for seeping around an object and cutting off all oxygen - no oxygen means little or no bacteria to eat away at organic material and cause disintegration.
"Now there is a dyke between the field and the river, which prevents flooding, but this is causing the land to dry out which could be destroying many important finds."
One of the first artefacts to be found near the site was the Witham Shield - which was discovered in 1826 and dates back to 400-300 BC.
The decorative shield is over a metre long, is a fine example of Iron Age workmanship and is currently residing in the British Museum.
In 1981 an excavation revealed the posts of a Celtic causeway. Hundreds of artefacts were found including spears and ornaments as well as a human skull with a sword lodged in it.
And in 2001 more sections of the wooden causeway were dug out and archaeologists discovered two complete Iron Age boats.
Mr Daubney added: "This is an archaeologically important site and one of the few wetland sites in Europe which is under survey. Because the field is regularly ploughed this is a bit of a rescue operation.
"It will be interesting to look at the finds and see how quickly they are degrading."
English Heritage is financing the dig and archeogical expert APS has been employed to help log the latest finds.
Metal detector expert Adge Winstanley (55), of East Barkwith, east of Lincoln, said: "The problem with scouring fen land is that any significant artefact is deep down.
"I will be hoping that there is a lot of stone on top of the soil - this is usually a good indicator objects are near the surface."
Source: This is Lincolnshire 08/03/2004
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Callanish, Gerald Ponting |
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| "Detectors trawl mud to turn up treasures" | Login/Create an Account | 5 comments |
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| | Comments are owned by the poster. We aren't responsible for their content. |
Re: (Score: 0)
by Anonymous on Tuesday, 09 March 2004 | | I hope the metal men do not come to our area, the farmers shoot them and hang them alongside the crows on the barb wire fence. Arthur. | [ Reply to This ]
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Re:club members (Score: 0)
by Anonymous on Saturday, 27 August 2005 | | metal detector clubs ,crooks the lot of them they give nighthawking a bad name | [ Reply to This ]
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Re:club members (Score: 0)
by Anonymous on Thursday, 16 August 2007 | | I think that this is an issue many of us in both the Detecting field and the Archeological areas of work are hoping to address sooner rather than later.
The Water Newton Rally this weekend should set things off nicely, with it being very interdependant of parties from both areas.
The BBC have even decided to join in this rally, so we'll see what they say. I personally feel any responsible detector is an asset to historical societies.
Visit my Metal Detector Resource Site | [ Reply to This ]
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Re:club members (Score: 0)
by Anonymous on Sunday, 17 February 2008 | | we are still being treated like peasants. who says we can not detect any where. this is our land as much as anyone elses. we should be able to hunt it. if we cant dig it then no one else should be able to. if we cant get permission we will detect on any land. after all this is our birth right to hunt our own land. the fat cats get fatter eating all the land up and say no you cant detect and treat you like you are a murderer or worse. so to hell with them ill detect it on a night. i always fill my holes in so dont tar all night hawkers with the same brush. i would not like to see a farmer or land owners family hurt them selves in an open hole. but who the hell has the right to this land from day one. i strongly believe this land belongs to us all. i love detecting and if this is the only way then so be it. it does not bother me but some people would show more finds if it never took 3 years to get to a payment or a desition. and only get less than half the value or less. than what you could get off a private collector. if your so keen on getting the finds play the game. resonable price of find and less time sorting payments out. | [ Reply to This ]
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