What is the connection between a windmill, a Roman fort, and a treasure hunt?

  • Thread starter Thread starter wolram
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Interesting
Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the connections between a windmill, a Roman fort, and the discovery of artifacts, particularly Roman coins, in relation to archaeological practices and laws regarding treasure hunting. Participants share personal experiences and observations related to these historical sites and their significance.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Historical

Main Points Raised

  • One participant mentions finding Roman coins around a windmill overlooking a Roman fort site, suggesting a historical connection between the two locations.
  • Another participant shares a link to a historical fortress in Oslo, indicating a broader interest in ancient structures.
  • There are questions about the condition and dating of the found Roman coins, with some participants noting that they vary in condition and can be dated to the occupation time of the fort.
  • Discussions arise regarding the laws of "treasure trove" in different countries, with some participants expressing uncertainty about the specifics and critiquing the effectiveness of current archaeological practices.
  • Concerns are raised about the protection of archaeological sites and the reliance on "salvage archaeology," which only occurs when sites are threatened by development.
  • Participants share personal anecdotes about finding artifacts at Native American sites and express a desire to preserve these findings for future generations.
  • There is mention of optical illusions related to certain locations, with one participant providing a detailed explanation of how visual perception can be deceived in specific environments.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a mix of agreement and disagreement regarding the laws of archaeology and treasure hunting, with some believing that current practices are inadequate while others suggest that archaeologists should seek private funding. The discussion remains unresolved on several points, particularly regarding the effectiveness of archaeological laws and practices.

Contextual Notes

Participants note limitations in archaeological funding and practices, highlighting that many sites are only excavated when threatened, which may lead to the loss of historical information. There is also a recognition that laws regarding treasure hunting vary by country, adding complexity to the discussion.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be of interest to those involved in archaeology, history enthusiasts, and individuals curious about the intersection of historical sites and modern laws regarding artifact discovery.

Science news on Phys.org
Last edited by a moderator:
arildno said:
Cool!
Mint condition, or what?

They vary in condition most have some definition.
 
Arildno, what are the laws of," treasure trove", in your country ?
 
wolram said:
Arildno, what are the laws of," treasure trove", in your country ?
Some convoluted version of finder's keepers, I think, but I cannot say for sure.
 
wolram said:
They vary in condition most have some definition.
Can some of them be dated?
 
arildno said:
Some convoluted version of finder's keepers, I think, but I cannot say for sure.

I think the laws in our country are crazy, most if not all sites like the roman
fort site are protected, which i agree with whole heartedly, but most of the
archeaology under way is," salvage archeaology", which means only doing a
dig if the site is in danger, ie from development, so most of these sites will rot away.
 
  • #10
arildno said:
Can some of them be dated?

Yes the dates cover the occupation time of the fort.
 
  • #11
wolram said:
I think the laws in our country are crazy, most if not all sites like the roman
fort site are protected, which i agree with whole heartedly, but most of the
archeaology under way is," salvage archeaology", which means only doing a
dig if the site is in danger, ie from development, so most of these sites will rot away.
That's the way in Norway as well.
Simply put, not sufficient means are given to archeologists to dig out interesting sites in a sufficient time-span. I agree, it is very sad.

I think, however, that the archeologists themselves are somewhat to blame here, sitting and waiting for public means.
After all, the great archeological excavations during the 19th century were all privately financed; maybe the archeologists themselves should try to garner interest for their subject among the very rich.
 
  • #13
but one thing has always confused me.

norway the land of mid-night sun!
how can u see it?
 
  • #14
arildno said:
That's the way in Norway as well.
Simply put, not sufficient means are given to archeologists to dig out interesting sites in a sufficient time-span. I agree, it is very sad.

I think, however, that the archeologists themselves are somewhat to blame here, sitting and waiting for public means.
After all, the great archeological excavations during the 19th century were all privately financed; maybe the archeologists themselves should try to garner interest for their subject among the very rich.

An example of our laws. If archeaology is discovered on a site that is being developed the owner of that site foots the bill for the dig, even if it is a private
owner.
 
  • #16
I have a few very secret Native American sites near me, I won't even go near them if people are around. I have found quite a few artifacts.
A few years back the Army corp made a flood plain in a local city field, they claim they didn't know that the little over grown hills there were burial mounds, until they washed away*. As kids we knew they were there, and we were told they were protected, and not to mess with them.

* the remains have now been re-interred
 
  • #17
hypatia said:
I have a few very secret Native American sites near me, I won't even go near them if people are around. I have found quite a few artifacts.
A few years back the Army corp made a flood plain in a local city field, they claim they didn't know that the little over grown hills there were burial mounds, until they washed away*. As kids we knew they were there, and we were told they were protected, and not to mess with them.

* the remains have now been re-interred

What sort of stuff have you found hypatia ?
 
  • #18
Oregon Vortex

Some day I intend to explore this place, it's only 4 hours drive from where I live...

oregon vortex
 
  • #19
Kerrie said:
Some day I intend to explore this place, it's only 4 hours drive from where I live...

oregon vortex

Does Ivan know about this place ? looks cool, you will have to tell all
after you have been.
 
  • #20
  • #21
I have found pottery, grinding bowls, war hammers, bird points,arrow heads, copper bits. I plan to leave it as a collection to a Michigan tribal museum, along with the site layout map I've made.
 
  • #22
Kerrie said:
Some day I intend to explore this place, it's only 4 hours drive from where I live...

oregon vortex

Never been there, but have visited the exact same thing outside of Columbia Falls, MT...
http://visitmt.com/categories/moreinfo.asp?IDRRecordId=268&SiteId=1
 
  • #23
Janus said:
Never been there, but have visited the exact same thing outside of Columbia Falls, MT...
http://visitmt.com/categories/moreinfo.asp?IDRRecordId=268&SiteId=1

Did you find an explanation ??
 
  • #24
The Florida http://www.dep.state.fl.us/parks/OPG/paynesprairie/photos/visitors/PAP-LaChuaTrail-DominickMartino.jpg State Reserve Park is quite an interesting place. Coming from the interstate and from a local highway, the entire area is a flat freshwater swamp.

Quite beautiful, actually. I have to check it out later during a weekend.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • #25
Since my Dad used to work http://www.ieee.ca/ccece06/images/Parliament_Hill.jpg for a Conservative Member of Parliament, I had a pass so that I could go anywhere.:biggrin: I felt so special. Beautiful building, if you ever come to Ottawa be sure to take a tour.
 
  • #26
wolram said:
Did you find an explanation ??

It's been years since I been there, But after a little research, it appears to just be a series of opitical illusions. What you need is a hill slope that has undergone some slippage such that the trees don't grow vertically. Then you place a bulding on this slope, which itself is tilted at an angle to the vertical.

This has the effect of confusing your visual perception of what direction "up" is. Since we rely so much on our vision, the visual clues tend to override our sense of balance clues. Thus when you stand in the building, it "feels'" like you have to lean away from vertical to maintain your balance.

Another effect is the board that people stand on appear to grow and shrink depending on which end they stand. Another opitical illusion, caused by one end of the board being closer to the viewer than the other. The board is placed in such a way on the slope and with the buiding in the background such that its placement hides this fact. (Again, the visual clues are carefully arranged to fool you in thinking that you are an equal distance from each end of the board)
 
  • #27
Kerrie said:
Some day I intend to explore this place, it's only 4 hours drive from where I live...

oregon vortex

Look in skeptecism and debunking for a thread about the 'mystery spot'. It looks very similar to this.
 
  • #29
Last edited by a moderator:
  • #30
I have the Minar-e-Pakistan here in Lahore where I study, plus the old inner city and gates etc from the Mughal empire. I've never actually been to many of the places unfortunately :( Back in Peshawar where I live, I've been up to the Khyber Pass which leads into Afghanistan. To the north there are the Karakoram and Himalaya ranges, plus the beautiful valley of swat, and places like kalam and malamjabba (you HAVE to see its so beautful :bugeye: !). Haven't gone past swat though...hopefully I get time to go sometime this year. There are also the ruins of the second oldest civilization in the world in Harappa, Moenjodaro, and Taxila, as well as other places. There's also stuff lying around from the invasions of Alexander, the Muslims, the British, and the Mongols.

Hmm...I've never seen any of them! Damn I need to make some time and go see em huh. You can see some good pics here: http://www.pakistanpage.net/gallery/main/ and just scroll down to the pics section
 
Last edited by a moderator: