Quantcast
Channel: Maia Atlantis: Ancient World Blogs
Viewing all articles
Browse latest Browse all 136795

Focus on Metal Detecting: American Digger

$
0
0
.
Artefact hunting American style, New York, NY, February 15, 2012:
SPIKE TV HUNTS FOR BURIED HISTORICAL TREASURES IN NEW ORIGINAL SERIES “AMERICAN DIGGER
Unscripted Series Travels Around The Country Uncovering Hidden Treasure Found In The Backyards Of Everyday Americans
Series Following Former Professional Wrestler, Ric Savage And His Team Of Relic Hunters Premieres Tuesday, March 20 at 10:00 PM, ET/PT

Spike TV ventures around the country in search of historical treasure buried in the backyards of unsuspecting citizens in the new unscripted original series, “American Digger.”
Premiering Tuesday, March 20 at 10:00 PM, ET/PT, “American Digger” follows the American Savage team, led by former professional wrestler-turned-modern- day relic hunter Ric Savage as they scour target-rich areas, such as battlefields and historic sites, in hopes of striking it rich by unearthing and selling rare pieces of American history.
In the US, there are millions of historical relics buried in backyards just waiting to be discovered and turned into profit.
For the broader background, see Heritage Action's comments here. This programme has even got US metal detecting lobbyists worried that its giving the game away a little too much. No "history hunters" here, but people openly out to find the collectably-rare and saleable artefacts. But at least there is a fresh honesty about what these people are doing. As Nigel Swift notes:
God Bless America, where an entrepreneurial or vandalistic spade is called just that, where people dig destructively for money or self and make no bones about it, where archaeologists object to them doing so and make no bones about it and where detector manufacturer Minelab has just donated $41,000 to fight attempts to prevent the destruction and makes no bones about it.

How much less morally repugnant that is than the public hypocrisy that blights Britain – where detectorists all claim they report all their finds even though most of them don’t, where archaeologists pretend to believe them despite knowing the statistics show it’s not true and where not Minelab but you the taxpayer pays not $41,000 but £1,500,000 a year to sustain the activity in its current unacceptable form. And to employ a battalion of archaeologists who, whenever the subject arises, tell your hapless fellow citizens it’s just fine to let absolutely anyone (including ex-professional wrestler Rick Savage – why not?) onto their fields so long as they say they’re “responsible“!


Vignette: "only in it for the history".

Viewing all articles
Browse latest Browse all 136795

Trending Articles