Treasure Hunting

When I say “Relic Hunting” most of you imagine searching for old items of historical value and displaying, reporting or otherwise honoring them. Today “Relic Hunters” are often the metal detectorists and armature archaeologists who seek these items in an effort to hold history in the palm of their hand and learn more about the civilizations before us.

But an article titled “Relic-Hunting,” written for the New York Times on August 4, 1881 paints a very different picture. I thought it was interesting and overall I’m quite proud that us Relic Hunters are no longer thought of in such a fashion. Here are some excerpts from the article:

“Mr. Ruskin made a great mistake when he said that we have no ruins in America. The truth is that the country is full of ruins, Roman, Grecian, Egyptian, and Syrian. They have been brought here piecemeal by enterprising American tourists, and a scientific person has estimated that up to and including the 1st of June last (1881) the total amount of imported ruins in the United States amounted to 833,000 tons in round numbers.”

“Persons who have formed the habit of collecting relics have no conscience whatever. They will lounge behind the guide at Pompeii in order to tear up a piece of mosaic pavement, or will knock off the corner of an Egyptian obelisk without the least remorse.”

“Every tourist of this variety brings home a half bushel of relics - pieces of brick, stone, or glass - all of which he has collected by breaking precious relics of antiquity. He exhibits these to his friends and actually glories in his shame.”

“The relic-hunter has of late shown his inventive genius by the way in which he defaces objects which are beyond the reach of a hammer. Ruins, crude or manufactured, should be ruthlessly confiscated by the Custom-house officers. If the relic-hunters knew that every bit of stone for which they could not honestly account would be seized and thrown into the river they would recognize the uselessness of defacing European ruins merely to increase the weight of their trunks.”

Go to The New York Times Online Article Preview to read the rest of this article.

And the next time you see someone tear up because they realize that the Civil War relic they hold in their hand is one of the few and precious pieces of a long-lost life, be thankful that our country learned to respect relics.

Be thankful for your fellow metal detectorists who learn about history, seek out relics, and preserve them for our future generations to learn from.

~ Liz ~

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