British Museum Looking for Treasure at Otterton Mill!

A team of archaeological experts is hoping to find treasure during a special event at Otterton Mill this Saturday, as the East Devon tourist attraction hosts a visit by the British Museum's Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS).

Members of the public are invited to bring along any archaeological finds (from old coins, to pieces of worked flint, shards of pottery or metal artefacts) and have them identified and explained. Advice will also be offered by the experts on issues relating to the Treasure Act.  The team includes Danielle Wooton from the Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Dr Ken Dark from Reading University, Helen Rance from Historical Environment Records and Richard Sandover from Devon Archaeological Society.

The visit is part of a nationwide programme run by the Museum, with a mission of identifying and recording archaeological discoveries. Every year, thousands of objects are discovered, many by metal-detector users, but also by people out walking, gardening, renovating their home or digging a ditch. The discoveries provide historians with an invaluable source for better understanding our past.

PAS has recently been in the news for its role in working through one of the largest ever finds of Roman coins in Britain by a man using a metal detector. The hoard of more than 52,000 coins dating from the 3rd Century AD was found buried in a field near Frome in Somerset. The story of the excavation will be told in a new BBC Two archaeology series, Digging for Britain, to be broadcast in August.

The Otterton Mill event is free entry and will run from 11am to 4pm.  visitors will also encounter a real life Roman soldier!

Date added: Tuesday 27th July 2010
Latest updated: Monday 16th January 2012