A real-life story of archaeological detection, leading to a unique prehistoric hoard
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A real-life story of archaeological detection, leading to a unique prehistoric hoard
The Salisbury Hoard is the most remarkable hoard of prehistoric metalwork ever found in Britain, but knowledge of it was almost lost with artefacts scattered by metal-detectorists, dealers, auction houses and collectors. Thanks, however, to the dogged persistence of Dr Stead well over half the hoard has now been recovered and acquired by the British Museum, where it will be displayed as one of the most important finds of the century.
Ian Stead's first-hand account has been widely hailed as one of the most riveting books on archaeology ever published with fantastic reviews of the hardback. These included:
'The most readable, un-put-downable, archaeological detective story I have ever read...This is a book I warmly recommend to all readers' - Andrew Selkirk, Current Archaeology
'A rattling tale of skulduggery and scholarship which is almost too shocking to be true.' - 'Time Team' Book Club
'A thriller of a book about the discovery, dispersal and recovery (or nearly) of one of the most important prehistoric hoards ever found.' - Prof. Martin Carver, British Museum Magazine
Dr Ian Stead is a Fellow of the British Academy and was, until his recent retirement, Deputy Keeper in the Department of Prehistoric and Romano-British Antiquities at the British Museum. Among many books he is probably best known for his work on Celtic Art in Britain and (with others) Lindow Man - the Body in the Bog. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Customer Reviews
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
Ian Stead is a very well-respected archaeologist. Perhaps it is because I am also an archaeologist, but I found this a very easy to follow account. Its best feature is the illustration of the harm that greed-driven metal detectorists (and there are many who work closely with museums and archaeologists!) and looters cause to archaeology. This is a serious problem and needs to be confronted when dealing with the nation's heritage.
The Salisbury Hoard is a quite important find in archaeology, and I think that this book deals with it in an interesting and thought-provoking manner.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Dr Skead's tenacity over a period of years attempting to get to the bottom of an archaeological conundrum is admirable. Less so is the evident skullduggery and greed demonstrated by metal detectors, a peer of the realm and numerous dealers. (The hero of the piece is a policeman.)
This is a text book case how to deny a country it's heritage, a unique chunk of which is represented by the Salisbury Hoard. About 60% has been recovered, stolen from a farmer, whose heirs have donated as much as was recovered by Dr Skead's efforts, to the country. The unrecovered balance is distributed across the world.
Dr Skead's prose style and narrative betrays some of his academic background and the cast of multitudes can be a little difficult to follow. All in all this is a compelling read, a little let down by an obviously meticulous archaeologist's translation of dig recording requirements to a polular history.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Stead's sleuthing reclaims a national treasure and exposes the illicit trade of antiquities.
22 May 2008
By Andrew J. Brozyna
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Metal detecting is a very popular pastime in Britain. For the most part, these hobbyists are considerate to the landowner and are helpful to archaeology. They bring their finds to the attention of local museums and split any earnings with the land owner. Objects of silver or gold are given up to the government. Sadly, there are also metal detectorists who are not so law-abiding. They are treasure hunters motivated only by the money their finds can bring them. In the 1980s a pair of ordinarily honest metal detectorists found a great hoard of Bronze Age and Iron Age objects. They gave in to temptation and sold the objects into antiquities trade. The artifacts were split up, sold and re-sold. If it were not for the work of Ian Stead, this collection and its history would be lost.
In 1988 Ian Stead was the Deputy Keeper in the Dept. of Prehistoric and Romano-British Antiquities at the British Museum. An antiquities dealer introduced him to a set of miniature bronze shields. They were authentic, yet unprovenanced. The British Museum bought them, but Stead was very curious about their origins. The Salisbury Hoard details the detective story that was his attempt to establish provenance and re-unite the scattered hoard.
Chapters 1-3 give an account of his hunt for the original finders of the hoard, tracking the find-site. Chapter 4 describes the British Museum's excavation of the site, which confirmed the provenance of the treasure. Chapter 5 de-tangles the web of finders, dealers and collectors into which the hoard fell. Chapter 6 recounts the trial of the metal detectorists. 7 describes the Museum's efforts to acquire the pieces. 8 explains the archaeological relevance of this hoard. Chapters 9 and 10 explain the value of provenance and the context in which archaeological objects are found. Various anecdotes are provided to illustrate.
An engaging read, Stead's personal account guides us through a specific investigation to reach an understanding of the true value of artifacts--an object's contribution to our understanding of the past far outweighs its intrinsic beauty.
In 1988 Ian Stead was the Deputy Keeper in the Dept. of Prehistoric and Romano-British Antiquities at the British Museum. An antiquities dealer introduced him to a set of miniature bronze shields. They were authentic, yet unprovenanced. The British Museum bought them, but Stead was very curious about their origins. The Salisbury Hoard details the detective story that was his attempt to establish provenance and re-unite the scattered hoard.
Chapters 1-3 give an account of his hunt for the original finders of the hoard, tracking the find-site. Chapter 4 describes the British Museum's excavation of the site, which confirmed the provenance of the treasure. Chapter 5 de-tangles the web of finders, dealers and collectors into which the hoard fell. Chapter 6 recounts the trial of the metal detectorists. 7 describes the Museum's efforts to acquire the pieces. 8 explains the archaeological relevance of this hoard. Chapters 9 and 10 explain the value of provenance and the context in which archaeological objects are found. Various anecdotes are provided to illustrate.
An engaging read, Stead's personal account guides us through a specific investigation to reach an understanding of the true value of artifacts--an object's contribution to our understanding of the past far outweighs its intrinsic beauty.
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