In 2016 I attended the fantastic Fields of Conflict Conference at Trinity College Dublin, where I presented work that reassessed an earlier collaboration with metal detectorists in the UK, in light of some new and rather damning evidence. The Proceedings of that Conference have just been published in a peer-reviewed Open Access book Conference Proceedings: Fields of Conflict, 2016; Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland. Essentially, my new paper reveals that my earlier assessment of a metal detection finds archive, published in a 2007 volume of the Journal of Conflict Archaeology, was strongly influenced by what are now understood to have been possible fabrications made by the metal detectorists themselves. As my new publication points out:
“This paper should be considered both a retraction and a brief reassessment of the earlier work in light of new evidence, as well as a cautionary tale to researchers on the use of legacy data. The reader is asked to excuse the slightly autobiographical tone of this paper, as it is one of disappointment, embarrassment and reflection, that needs to be addressed.”
If that piqued your interest, then read on, for it is an Open Access publication and free to all, thanks to the fantastic endeavours of editors Tim Sutherland, Damian Shiels, Gavin Hughes and Simon Sutherland.
Bonsall J. 2019. Challenges of Working with Legacy Data from Detectorists: A Case Study in the Fabrication of Evidence, in Sutherland T.L., Shiels D., Hughes G., Sutherland S.H. (eds.) Conference Proceedings: Fields of Conflict, 2016; Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland Retrieved from: http://fieldsofconflict.com/c_paper.php?id=31&act=full [Accessed 18 Sep 2019]
Dr James Bonsall 