No abstract

The hobby of metal detecting has mostly been examined from the perspectives of archaeology and heritage administration. Although fulfilling archaeological needs, such an approach neglects the social analysis of this pastime. In 2019, we conducted a survey of metal detector enthusiasts and heritage professionals in Finland, the results of which are compared with those of a corresponding survey carried out in 2014. Within five years, metal detecting has become an established practice, and following the Finnish custom, registered associations for amateurs have emerged to organize the field. This longitudinal survey highlights its importance to civil society, with regard to the ways in which metal detecting develops as a hobby and as a means for amateurs to engage with heritage management.

In this paper, I propose a method to improve the intercomparability of different artifact groups by narrowing the error caused by the differences in material densities. The products, especially of mixed materials, have not been previously analyzed as regards whether or not they have statistically significant differences in material densities or whether the densities affect comparative studies. The results showed that in addition to the obvious material groups like different metals and stones, there is also a significant difference in material densities when comparing redware and clay pipes by their weight. Therefore, the method presented here eliminates the effect of material density, but in a way that it is still intuitive and can be compared with values that have not been density corrected.