Briton found in the field of ancient golden cross

[Евгений]

British amateur archaeologist who examined the field in the county of Nottinghamshire with a metal detector, found in the land of golden cross-reliquary dating from the VII century. According to the newspaper The Times, discovery is estimated at 25 thousand pounds sterling.

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the lucky ones who get half of these 25 thousand, asked not to disclose his name. He told the newspaper The Telegraph, that the cross was lying in the ground at a depth of about 30 centimeters. Nearby he found the Anglo-Saxon coin pensovuyu and fragments of copper plates. The exact location of the finds are not disclosed to protect him from the "Night Hunter" - the British varieties of "black archeologists, working in the dark.

Cross length of 2.5 cm is made from melted gold coins of the Frankish Merovingian Dynasty. On the front side was decorated with five hand grenades, cabochon, three of whom survived. The reliquary was empty. Experts confirmed the authenticity of the findings of the British Museum.

In the UK, since 2006 operates a voluntary program of "Body of Principles for work with small historical discoveries" (Portable Antiquities Scheme), which offers owners of metal detectors to report designated experts on the detected objects, but does not oblige them to donate to the state. Museums in Britain later willingly purchase the most interesting objects. Thanks to this program in 2007 alone, have been identified and registered 58-odd thousand discoveries.

[dedulya37]

Сообщение от Eugene

offers owners of metal detectors to report designated experts on the detected objects, but does not oblige pass of the State

Someone on the forum said the right thing "it is high time to change the laws of the Stalinist" ..

[Евгений]

dedulya37, the law in Russia in this area, only contribute to theft, bribery of law enforcement, and all the activities of amateur archeologists turns into a criminal environment, although inete there are dozens of sites where everything is sold (without into account the interests of the State), and officials do not care.

[Nik]

It is unclear just why

lucky ones who get half of those 25 thousand ...

And the other half anyone? State (or a metal detector)? If the State, half of the course, better than the 25%who has found (supposedly) gets us (and we wonder who and how assesses the find, at what cost - the market or the "residual") . But anyway - robbery in both cases. Better not take the state.

Recalled a story from his student life. This was the year That way in 84-m. My friends and I at the end of the summer after stroyotryada suddenly gathered in late August - early September, gave up the Crimea, in Alushta (well, to walk 2 weeks of the Institute, of course - then it was painless). And to live we also built in a field camp of archaeologists, which was known to one of the members of our company. Rather, the camp was not a field, but rather a mountain (or rather, lowland) - it was located on Mount Funa, adjacent to another, more famous mountain Dzemerdzhi (10 minutes by trolley from the side of Alushta Simferopol). Of course, it's too far from the sea, especially as it was before the trolley had 20-25 minutes to walk, but stay free of charge and all solid exotics, such as in the television show, where a group of tourists are dropping on a desert island. But for us then it was not a problem in 20 years or so. Carried in Alushta every day - stuck at sea, and walked around the city from morning till night. Then they returned to his camp in the pitch dark, in fact to the touch - only the stars in the sky visible, nothing more. I was, incidentally, the first time in my life saw the Milky Way is alive - in the morning he was clearly seen - broad band of silver lining to the middle star - through the sky. Stunner! And after that is not ever in my life is watching.

As we lived in the camp of archaeologists - is another story. But in a nutshell tell. Since it was already the beginning of September, the camp was empty archaeologists, they are just left a large group of student archaeologists, who were there practice. We just arrived on the eve of their departure and got on, so to say farewell party (festivities all night long). And to live we have formed a large 8-person tents that we were given a steward archaeologists. For 3 people in a tent - beauty! - Stand there could be upright, not crouching. Slept on folding cots in a thick sleeping bags (northern option). The fact that there, on the mountain, at night the temperature falls to 5 degrees, although the day 30 and above. Well, tan, again, crazy - the mountains yet, although a low. The microclimate there is a very special, not like on the coast, though it is quite close.

Well, all right. I began my story is not over it.

The office manager of archaeologists was a man her own way, about 50, but for him there and was a little boring, so that our company had for him very handy. He told us then a lot out of the inner "kitchen" of archaeologists.

In general, many so-called "archeological expedition" in those days (do not know, as now) were just a front for personal enrichment of themselves archaeologists (mostly, of course, their leadership). Where people worked solely on themselves. Recorded as it should be only 10 per cent of the finds, and the rest fall into the "personal collection" and the black market. They revealed the burial took away everything valuable, "described" found (the 10%that was not sorry to give the state), then again all buried and go to the next "object". That such a scheme is a fairly straightforward "work".

And on the mountain was something almost completely destroyed is not a lock, not the strength - I went up there from the camp a couple of times, but watching it was not for that, ruins and nothing more. But there were graves in which archaeologists is just looking for some value. According to the superintendent, something interesting, they still found there, but in general - so, nothing special. At home even somewhere lying around some "prehistoric" shards of those places. But that's just - souvenirs.

Here's a story. I do not want to distribute it to all archaeologists believe that among them there are honest people, enthusiastic, but said what he heard firsthand.

(While writing this, Eugene was ahead of me and said roughly the same, but much shorter)

[Евгений]

Сообщение от Nik

And the other half anyone?

Tom, who owns the rights to land ownership (private individual, fund, county, etc.)

[dedulya37]

Nik,
Your story confirms once again the words of the famous joke: ... "while we, the razdolbaystvom not finish, not win them to our country .."