Barford Takes on the Mudlarks

Somehow, NPR has tapped archaeo-blogger Paul Barford to speak for U.K. archaeologists in a story about "mudlarking" on the Thames though he has not lived in the U.K. for decades, no longer actively digs, and has no PhD in the subject matter.

Today, however, most U.K. archaeologists (like the other one quoted in the story) have largely made peace with metal detectorists.  The fact is most metal detectorists dig in ploughed fields and places like river beds where any context has already been disturbed.   And let's not forget the Portable Antiquities Scheme has given us a far better picture of the past than is the case in countries where confiscatory laws actually discourage finders from doing anything but keep their finds to themselves.