Object biography interviews – Flemish metal detectorists and their finds.

Professional archaeology has historically had a difficult and varying relationship with non-professional and amateur groups, including metal detectorists and private collectors. Opinions from the professional archaeological sector are divided on how best to engage with these. Due to this ongoing concern and attempts to negotiate different ethical standpoints, the full extent of research involving and working with finders and collectors of archaeological objects is rarely realized. In particular the 'secret lives' of objects, that is, what happens to them after they are uncovered and what other meanings they gather for particular groups and individuals beyond their scientific (archaeological) information potential, is usually overlooked. This project therefore poses the questions: what biographies of portable heritage objects (PHOs) can be sought through interaction with their current stewards (owners)? What extra light can such information shed on our understanding of contemporary human interactions with PHOs, and upon the role of these PHOs in everyday life? How can object-focused interviews be developed as a solid methodology to shed light on biographies of PHOs discovered and owned by private individuals? In exploratory interviews carried out with metal detectorists and artefact collectors in Flanders, the project investigates where certain objects were found and how, but also the object biography information (where is it now, how is it shown, what will happen to it in future, and its personal meanings to its current steward). The findings enrich our understanding of the biographies of objects, and boldly explores the perspectives of finders and collectors that in this regard have often been overlooked, contending that this data is crucial for grasping the draw of things, and especially old things, in our analyses of portable heritage objects.

Keywords:HERITAGE, ETHNOGRAPHY, ETHNOLOGY, BIOGRAPHY

Disciplines:Social and cultural anthropology, Archaeology not elsewhere classified, Heritage and cultural conservation, Methods in archaeology