Description
Recounts the incredible stories of more than 50 archaeological treasures recently found by ordinary people, and which are reshaping our understanding of British history.
Britain has a rich past, with incredible archaeology. Every day, new discoveries transform our understanding of its history. Most are made not by professional archaeologists, but by members of the public. Some are chance finds; others recovered by the thousands of metal detectorists, mudlarks and fieldwalkers who scour Britain's countryside and waterways looking for artefacts.
Beneath Our Feet is a celebration of this growing public involvement in archaeology, and the groundbreaking work of the Portable Antiquities Scheme managed by the British Museum in England and Amgueddfa Cymru in Wales. Its mission is collaboration with public finders, encouraging them to report discoveries so they can be recorded on a national database and shared with archaeologists, curators and everyone with an interest in the past buried beneath our feet.
From the 3,500-year-old Ringlemere Cup to the Anglo-Saxon Staffordshire Hoard, a heart pendant connected to Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon, and a jar of American gold coins buried by a Jewish refugee fleeing the Nazis, these are the stories of more than 50 astonishing treasures, the people who found them, and how they are reshaping British history.
About the Author
Michael Lewis is Head of Portable Antiquities & Treasure at the British Museum - managing both the Portable Antiquities Scheme and overseeing the administration of the Treasure Act - and Visiting Professor in Archaeology at the University of Reading. His is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London and a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Art Scholars. He has a particular interest in small finds of the medieval period. He was previously a Special Constable with the Metropolitan Police's Art & Antiques Unit, and is a member of the All Party Parliamentary Archaeology (Advisory) Group and the ACPO's Heritage Crime and Cultural Property Working Group. He is the author of The Story of the Bayeux Tapestry with Dave Musgrove. Ian Richardson is the Senior Treasure Registrar at the PAS/BM. Mackenzie Crook is the writer, director and star of the BAFTA-winning television series Detectorists.
Book Information
ISBN 9780500027523
Author Michael Lewis
Format Hardback
Page Count 272
Imprint Thames & Hudson Ltd
Publisher Thames & Hudson Ltd
Britain has a rich past, with incredible archaeology. Every day, new discoveries transform our understanding of its history. Most are made not by professional archaeologists, but by members of the public. Some are chance finds; others recovered by the thousands of metal detectorists, mudlarks and fieldwalkers who scour Britain's countryside and waterways looking for artefacts.
Beneath Our Feet is a celebration of this growing public involvement in archaeology, and the groundbreaking work of the Portable Antiquities Scheme managed by the British Museum in England and Amgueddfa Cymru in Wales. Its mission is collaboration with public finders, encouraging them to report discoveries so they can be recorded on a national database and shared with archaeologists, curators and everyone with an interest in the past buried beneath our feet.
From the 3,500-year-old Ringlemere Cup to the Anglo-Saxon Staffordshire Hoard, a heart pendant connected to Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon, and a jar of American gold coins buried by a Jewish refugee fleeing the Nazis, these are the stories of more than 50 astonishing treasures, the people who found them, and how they are reshaping British history.
About the Author
Michael Lewis is Head of Portable Antiquities & Treasure at the British Museum - managing both the Portable Antiquities Scheme and overseeing the administration of the Treasure Act - and Visiting Professor in Archaeology at the University of Reading. His is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London and a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Art Scholars. He has a particular interest in small finds of the medieval period. He was previously a Special Constable with the Metropolitan Police's Art & Antiques Unit, and is a member of the All Party Parliamentary Archaeology (Advisory) Group and the ACPO's Heritage Crime and Cultural Property Working Group. He is the author of The Story of the Bayeux Tapestry with Dave Musgrove. Ian Richardson is the Senior Treasure Registrar at the PAS/BM. Mackenzie Crook is the writer, director and star of the BAFTA-winning television series Detectorists.
Book Information
ISBN 9780500027523
Author Michael Lewis
Format Hardback
Page Count 272
Imprint Thames & Hudson Ltd
Publisher Thames & Hudson Ltd
