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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;YOC, post: 1835855, member: 58941&quot;]If I am Roman and I bury coins in my back garden, then that is an archaelogical site isnt it? Its a Roman homestead or small settlement.&nbsp; It may not be the local colloseum, but information just as important can be gleaned from my house about my lifestyle as can be found at the colloseum.&nbsp; The discovery of a hoard (like mine) in an area where absolutely NO Roman material has ever been found and NO traces of Roman occupation recorded, can begin to rewrite the history books.&nbsp; It was not near a villa, Roman road, or other site, but we are beginning to examine this area more closely with geophys and other technology at our disposal and we may well find the villa or settlement soon.&nbsp;&nbsp; This would have never happened had we not disclosed the hoard.&nbsp; </p><p>So I tend to agree with Volante, we as collectors all have to bear some responsibility for the coins we own and seek,,as a large percentage will not have been recorded and concentrations of coins equals settlement in my experience. I know something about both ancient coins and archaeology and all coins and antiquities I find are recorded with the Portable antiquities scheme so that the evidence is not lost.&nbsp; I liaise regularly with the local museum (I live 20 minutes from Frome) and discuss coin concentrations and pottery finds with them.</p><p>I shudder when I think of the armies of detectorists out in Eastern Europe and the Far east, who in their hundreds walk through fields pulling out everything and sending it West to The US and Western Europe.</p><p>I will not stop collecting, but I am honest enough to admit that our collecting has to be encouraging the illegal digging going on in Eastern Europe and the far east.&nbsp; Our coins may be just a bonus extra bit of cash for those looters seeking the treasure, but who can deny that is what we are doing?&nbsp; If everyone stopped buying ancients, and i mean everyone and noone bought antiquities any more, then it would stop.&nbsp; The diggers are poor people after a living, so I know why they do it.</p><p>Will my stopping dealing/collecting single handedly stop illegal looting/unrecorded finds heading West?? No.&nbsp; Will I stop ?&nbsp; No.&nbsp; But I am not sensible and honest enough to accept it is not helping the situation one bit and every unrecorded coin(by unrecorded I mean find location), is history lost and will encourage the exporters to keep exporting.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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