Antiquarian Mishaps

A 5-minute read on the accidental destruction of evidence

Archaeology is, by nature, a destructive practice.

Though much of our knowledge of prehistoric and early medieval Britain derives from material culture, discovered primarily through excavation or metal detection, the context of that material culture must be destroyed in order to understand it.

‘I, unluckily, broke it all to pieces in getting it out … [I] was not so careful of it as I should have been.’

Thankfully, there are safeguards in modern archaeological techniques to ensure that as little information is lost as possible: detailed recording, including photography; lifting of objects or collections of objects in a soil block to be excavated in a lab; leaving deposits to be explored at a later date when conditions are better.

This was not, however, always the case.