Metal Detection, An Essential Remote Sensing Approach for Historical Archaeologists (original) (raw)

Testing Metal Detector Methodology in Archaeology

2020

This thesis focuses on testing metal detector methodology at the eighteenth-century colonial site of Hobcaw North on the coast of South Carolina. In recent decades metal detectors have become an accepted part of the archaeological toolkit, yet their use is generally limited to the role of site discovery and delineation. With the goal of broadening the role of metal detector use, several research questions were designed to test what other methodological approaches can be utilized. These questions build upon the foundation of an intensive, full-coverage metal detector survey previously conducted at Hobcaw North. The first question looks at the utility of screening soil to recover non-metallic artifacts when excavating the targeted metallic object. The next question compares the full-coverage metal detector survey to two versions of a less intensive metal detector survey and a shovel test survey in order to see what differences there are in any revealed artifact patterning between these methods. The final question looks at whether a metal detector survey can reveal information about artifact patterning, how the inclusion of non-metallic artifacts alters interpretations, and if the results can be used to effectively guide test unit placement. The results of this study show that there is room for innovation in metal detecting methodology.

A Pilot Study in Archaeological Metal Detector Geophysical Survey

Open Archaeology, 2022

Metal detection (MD) has traditionally been viewed as a limited geophysical survey method for the identification of metal objects below the surface. However, this pilot study examines techniques utilizing the "ground balance" function, common to most modern metal detectors, to identify subsurface magnetic anomalies. The results of surveys have yielded inconclusive results on the use of metal detectors for feature identification. However, the results of this study suggest a high potential for more efficient and more productive archaeological reconnaissance surveys. The ground balance function, when combined with systematic sampling and geographic information systems interpolation methods, yields low-resolution subsoil magnetic susceptibility maps. Compared to other geophysical methods, such as gradiometry or electrical resistivity, the depth range of MD is limited. However, this technique, in upland contexts with shallow subsoils or sites with high potential for recent ground disturbing activities, can reveal subtle changes in the subsurface that traditional MD techniques would miss. Further studies are recommended to explore the many situations in which a metal detector can provide an informative alternative, though not a replacement, for other geophysical survey methods. This pilot study was funded by the National Geographic Society's Early Career Grant program.

The Archaeological Impacts of Metal Detecting

Open Archaeology, 2019

In a comment on two recent articles on the archaeological impacts of metal detecting, this paper advocates clearer and more valid measures of those impacts and more nuanced classification of the legal and cultural environments in which metal detecting takes place. The need to rely on open-source, online data for transnational analysis makes the former challenging but not impossible. Using the example of Canada, the paper shows that jurisdictional and other complexities make simple "permissive" and "restrictive/prohibitive" dichotomies unhelpful, and suggests using multivariate analysis that accounts for such factors as presumption of ownership, locations of metal detecting, availability of finds reporting, and whether heritage legislation concerns artifacts or only sites. This is essential for development of sound, evidence-based policy on the metal-detecting hobby.

Sleeping with the “Enemy” Metal Detecting Hobbyists and Archaeologists

In 2012, the Archaeology Department at James Madison’s Montpelier began an experimental program with Minelab Americas to encourage metal detectorists to become more involved in the scientific process of archaeological research. Specifically, the program is designed to be a week-long experience in which archaeologists and metal detectorists work together to identify and preserve archaeological sites at the 2,700-acre Montpelier property. In the process, the metal detector participants are taught the importance of site preservation through background lectures and hands-on field training in which they use their metal detectors as a remote sensing device. Participants learn how gridded metal detector surveys are conducted and the importance of proper context and curation of recovered objects. The team-based approach of our program has resulted in a co-creation process whereby metal detectorists bring to the table their skills in using their machines to identify subtle metallic artifact signals and archaeologists bring the skill of systematic survey techniques to map and record archaeological sites. In the end, teamwork encourages open and frank discussions regarding the interface between metal detecting and the archaeological communities and has gone a long way toward reconciling differences between these two groups who have a long history of strained relations.