The Portable Antiquities of the Netherlands

Abstract

Overview The Portable Antiquities of the Netherlands (PAN) is an online system aimed at recording and documenting archaeological finds by the public. Since PAN launched in 2016, it has become an important data contributor to Dutch archaeology, amassing over 100,000 recorded finds. These data, mostly the result of metal detection, enable scholars to gain new insights and policy makers to make more informed decisions. This review describes the context in which PAN was established, along with its current structure and scope, before looking at its different components, including the underlying database and linked data reference collection. In a final section, the article briefly addresses some common issues inherent to public reporting programs and how PAN approaches these issues.

Incorporating Publication into Graduate Seminars

“…Digital reviews were intended to evaluate digital media critically through an archaeological lens, highlight the relevance of digital archaeology techniques, and provide a venue for comparing digital archaeology media and methods(Perry 2016). Recent DR articles have covered wide-ranging topics: from high-level overviews of important trends in digital archaeology(Kansa and Kansa 2021;Liang 2021) to investigations of public engagement through various digital media(Carpentier 2022;Dennis 2018;Emmitt 2022;Snyder 2022). Consequently, students can write about diverse topics that are of interest to them and integrate their hobbies into academic writing.For students, DRs have the advantage of being shorter texts (around 2,000 words), not requiring formal peer review, and being freely available online.…”