Beneath our Feet

The first official illustrated book celebrating the astonishing objects found by ordinary people that have transformed British archaeology. Britain has a rich history, with incredible archaeology. New finds are made every day that transform our understanding of the past. Remarkably, many are not from professional archaeologists, but from ordinary members of the public. Some are chance discoveries in back gardens and construction sites, but most are found by the thousands of hobbyist field-walkers, mudlarks and metal-detectorists who scour Britain''s countryside and waterways looking for artefacts. This democratic, ''crowd-sourced'' archaeology has become increasingly important over the past twenty years thanks to the popularity of metal detectors and a revolution in how public finds are recorded in England and Wales. Operated by the British Museum since 2007, the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) now liaises with the public, particularly the metal-detecting community, encouraging them to report finds to local archaeologists and record them on a national database. This book is a celebration of public involvement in archaeology and the ground-breaking work of the PAS. Opening with a preface by Mackenzie Crook, star and writer of the popular television series Detectorists , it tells the incredible stories of more than fifty compelling treasures, the people who found them and how they are reshaping our understanding of British history - from the 3,500-year-old Ringlemere Cup to the Anglo-Saxon Staffordshire Hoard and a 16th-century gold pendant with the initials of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon. The words of the finders and archaeologists convey the excitement of discovery as they explore the historical significance of each spectacular object. A primer gives advice on hobbyist best practice and how to report and identify your own finds.

Auteur

Michael Lewis is Head of Portable Antiquities & Treasure at the British Museum - managing both the Portable Antiquities Scheme and overseeing the administration of the Treasure Act - and Visiting Professor in Archaeology at the University of Reading. His is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London and a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Art Scholars. He has a particular interest in small finds of the medieval period. He was previously a Special Constable with the Metropolitan Police's Art & Antiques Unit, and is a member of the All Party Parliamentary Archaeology (Advisory) Group and the ACPO's Heritage Crime and Cultural Property Working Group. He is the author of The Story of the Bayeux Tapestry with Dave Musgrove. Ian Richardson is the Senior Treasure Registrar at the PAS/BM. Mackenzie Crook is the writer, director and star of the BAFTA-winning television series Detectorists.

Texte du rabat

Recounts the incredible stories of more than fifty archaeological treasures recently found by ordinary people, and which are reshaping our understanding of British history.

Résumé
Recounts the incredible stories of more than 50 archaeological treasures recently found by ordinary people, and which are reshaping our understanding of British history.

Britain's history runs deep and much of its treasured past lies hidden underfoot. Every day, new discoveries are unearthed not by expert archaeologists but by amateur enthusiasts. Armed with spades and maps, these detectorists, mudlarks and fieldwalkers scour the earth's surface. What they find is perhaps at first glance unremarkable: fragments of pottery, metal coins, jewellery. But from the pieces emerge stories of how our ancestors lived, traded, ate, played, fought and died.

Beneath Our Feet is a celebration of this growing public involvement in archaeology, and the groundbreaking work of the Portable Antiquities Scheme managed by the British Museum in England and Amgueddfa Cymru in Wales.