Metal Detectorist and Archaeologists Working Together

[Kyflintguy]

Interesting read on some collaboration between Metal Detectorist and Archaeologist in the NE. Turns out experience matters when it comes to detecting...
You NE guys may be familiar with the research and archaeologists involved here, if not here you go!

https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/01/16/science/archaeology-metal-detectorists-pequot.html?referer=https://www.google.com/

[chase]

Good read. Thanks KY

[Kyflintguy]

I liked it mostly also. But if you read Mr. Jones's (Connecticut state archaeologist) comments you can still sense a little bit of disdain towards the detecting community as a whole.... That kind of "looking down the nose" is apart of the problem imo. Basically those guys were helping out, advancing research but everybody else is kinda just "looters"... Seems a little like a forced "pat on the back"...

[chase]

I agree with that.

[2ndoldman]

Thank you for sharing this Josh. I do agree that the article is both complimentary and demeaning at the same time.
but I can assure you that you would not have to ask me twice if I would be interested in assisting with a project like that.
HELL YEAH you get your sweet bippy I would. Sign me up now.

[Kyflintguy]

Oh yeah, there would be no hesitation on my part to help with such a interesting project either.

[CMD]

Yes, the Ct. metal detecting club was cited as one of the principal reasons the King Philip's War RI battlesite know as Nipsachuck was discovered. They were given all the credit in the world in the final report. Amazing that in tiny and densely populated RI such a battlesite had been left undisturbed since 1676. I posted about it at the time the report was released. The Ct metel detectorists were a key to the project's success.....

http://forums.arrowheads.com/forum/i...5%E2%80%931678

[CMD]

Yes, the Ct. metal detecting club was cited as one of the principal reasons the King Philip's War RI battlesite know as Nipsachuck was discovered. They were given all the credit in the world in the final report. Amazing that in tiny and densely populated RI such a battlesite had been left undisturbed since 1676. I posted about it at the time the report was released. The Ct metel detectorists were a key to the project's success.....

http://forums.arrowheads.com/forum/i...5%E2%80%931678

"There were four crucial factors in the ultimate success of the project. First, was the support and active participation of the Native American representatives from the Narragansett, Mohegan, Nipmuc, Mashantucket Pequot, Eastern Pawcatuck Pequot, and Aquinah and Mashpee Wampanoag Tribes. Tribal representatives, and particularly representatives from the Narragansett Indian Tribal Historic Preservation Office, would visit the battle and ceremonial areas regularly offering valuable insight and advice on the process of battlefield survey and reconstruction and in the identification of potentially significant ceremonial features and landscapes at Nipsachuck and Cat Hills. Second, the support of the landowners at Cat Hill and Nipsachuck made virtually the entire battlefield and ceremonial area accessible to battlefield archaeologists. Landowners also provided important information on the nature of land usage on their properties. Third, the participation and experience of members of the Yankee Territory Coinshooters (YTC) metal detecting club was crucial in discriminating and recovering potential battle-related artifacts from some of the most challenging landscapes ever encountered in battlefield archeology. The Nipsachuck battlefield contained thousands of eighteenth through twentieth century artifacts, often “hiding” battle-related objects from less experienced archeological crew members. The YTC members were tireless in their efforts to revise their methods, techniques, and technologies to the complexities of battlefield archeology on a modern landscape, and to train and mentor crew members.

The Nipsachuck battlefield was particularly challenging because of the mineralized soils and rock that occurred throughout the area reducing the ability of some metal detectors (and less experienced crew) to discriminate between real artifacts and hot rocks. No less a challenge was conducting a metal detector survey within Mattity Swamp due to the presence of oxidized soils and bog iron. In some areas of the swamp, 1-2 feet of water overlay swamp muck that was 2-3 feet deep. The project got a significant “technological” boost in this respect when the Minelab Company loaned the MPMRC a Minelab GPX 4000. This state of the art technology (YTC employed some as well) was highly effective in the difficult conditions at the Nipsachuck Battlefield and outperformed all other technologies, serving as a check and balance to assess the effectiveness the other types of detectors and of the overall sampling strategy."

[2ndoldman]

Thank you for this additional information.