Preservation, Recording XXTITEL Participation: A comparison of national databases for the registration of private metal detector finds in North-Western Europe Linda Marie Bjerketvedt Mitteilungen der Berliner Gesellschaft für Anthropologie, Ethnologie und Urgeschichte 42 (2021) https://doi.org/10.30819/mbgaeu.42.4     pp: 23-46     2022-04-20

Preservation, Recording XXTITEL Participation: A comparison of national databases for the registration of private metal detector finds in North-Western Europe

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Abstract
Metal detecting is a popular hobby that is growing both in popularity and scale. With the steady increase in the number of finds being recorded, several European countries have developed databases to handle the large amount of data. This paper explores how different countries in North-Western Europe have responded to the growth of private metal detecting through the creation of national databases. It seeks to contextualise some national databases currently in existence and reflect on the socio-political factors contributing to their similarities and differences. The compatibility of three databases – PAS (Portable Antiquities Scheme) in England and Wales, PAN (Portable Antiquities of the Netherlands) and DIME (Digitale Metaldetektorfund) in Denmark – is explored in detail, with a practical application of the data to better understand the composition of a particular artefact category. The results demonstrate how the structure of the databases plays a vital role in how differences between them are generated. Compatibility between the databases is one remaining issue that needs to be solved in order to better facilitate transnational studies. Nevertheless, the datasets clearly complement each other and hold great potential for understanding the past, the present, and the complex relationship between the two.