Adam Daubney is the finds liaison officer at the Lincolnshire Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS). Hoards: the Hidden History of Ancient Britain, an exhibition based on research and excavations by PAS staff and other archaeologists, is at the British Museum, London, until 22 May.
What does a finds liaison officer do?
I’m one of 39 such officers in England and Wales, and my job is to record archaeological objects found by the public, mainly by detectorists but also by gardeners, dog walkers, anyone who stumbles across an object. Since 2003, we’ve recorded just over 75,000 finds from Lincolnshire alone, well above the national average.
Does the size and landscape of Lincolnshire make the job a challenge? Yes, but it’s also exciting. The area is varied, from the chalk wolds, to the coastal marsh, to fen and clay vales. The different landscapes had a huge impact on where and when people could settle and the type of activities they did. The University of Lincoln’s recent discovery of hundreds of flint tools thought to be from the Mesolithic period during excavations for a new building is typical. We have everything from paleolithic to industrial archaeology. Around 80% of the finds are on previously unknown sites.
Any memorable discoveries?
The most interesting was a medieval lead spindle wheel covered in Norse runes, or letters. It’s from the 11th century and was found at Saltfleetby, which used to be an important port. It’s not worth anything financially; it’s a small lead object with an inscription we believe is a prayer to the Norse god Odin. It’s possible that a weaver chanted the prayers into the fabric she was spinning. This sort of thing highlights what the PAS does best: telling the stories of everyday people. The media pick up on things like the Staffordshire hoard, but the million objects on our database are mostly things that most museums wouldn’t want to display, like bits of broken buckle or corroded Roman coins.
And the not so memorable?
Nine out of 10 times when someone is disappointed it’s because they have been told that the piece of f lint that looks like it has been shaped into a hand axe is just a plough-damaged bit of flint. One person didn’t believe me when I said that so he contacted other museums. After being told for about the seventh time that it wasn’t a weapon, he gave up. We also get people who can see faces or animals in stones. The human brain is predisposed to recognising faces but most of these instances are nature’s tricks. To be fair, though, I’ve seen a lot of flint that looks like a bison or rabbit.
What does a finds liaison officer do?
I’m one of 39 such officers in England and Wales, and my job is to record archaeological objects found by the public, mainly by detectorists but also by gardeners, dog walkers, anyone who stumbles across an object. Since 2003, we’ve recorded just over 75,000 finds from Lincolnshire alone, well above the national average.
Does the size and landscape of Lincolnshire make the job a challenge? Yes, but it’s also exciting. The area is varied, from the chalk wolds, to the coastal marsh, to fen and clay vales. The different landscapes had a huge impact on where and when people could settle and the type of activities they did. The University of Lincoln’s recent discovery of hundreds of flint tools thought to be from the Mesolithic period during excavations for a new building is typical. We have everything from paleolithic to industrial archaeology. Around 80% of the finds are on previously unknown sites.
Any memorable discoveries?
The most interesting was a medieval lead spindle wheel covered in Norse runes, or letters. It’s from the 11th century and was found at Saltfleetby, which used to be an important port. It’s not worth anything financially; it’s a small lead object with an inscription we believe is a prayer to the Norse god Odin. It’s possible that a weaver chanted the prayers into the fabric she was spinning. This sort of thing highlights what the PAS does best: telling the stories of everyday people. The media pick up on things like the Staffordshire hoard, but the million objects on our database are mostly things that most museums wouldn’t want to display, like bits of broken buckle or corroded Roman coins.
And the not so memorable?
Nine out of 10 times when someone is disappointed it’s because they have been told that the piece of f lint that looks like it has been shaped into a hand axe is just a plough-damaged bit of flint. One person didn’t believe me when I said that so he contacted other museums. After being told for about the seventh time that it wasn’t a weapon, he gave up. We also get people who can see faces or animals in stones. The human brain is predisposed to recognising faces but most of these instances are nature’s tricks. To be fair, though, I’ve seen a lot of flint that looks like a bison or rabbit.
