European Indians?

[Juan_Bottom]

So I found an arrowhead today in my grandpa's driveway. Pretty cool bro. He has a fair collection of them himself... seems like all the old guys out here in the country have a nice collection. But that got me thinking.... Do those of you in other parts of the world have anything similer? Something left behind that people collect?
Say... Europe for example, do you guys ever find rifles, ironheads, or medals or other random things? Maybe even helmuts and such?
Or in Asia do you guys find machetes? ironheads or rifles or anything?
(no mines don't count for either!)
The biggest war we ever had here was the Civil War, but it wasn't spread all over. Collectors often go out to battle fields and search for spent ammo, but you never hear of people finding rifles or anything like that. The battles were mostly contained too. Skirmishes all took place around major battles. So it's not like anything would have been left behind. And it was a modern war, so it was pretty well documented. You couldn't just stumble on to something.

[Balsiefen]

We have a lot of people who go round with metal detectors looking for roman/medieval coins and such, and there's a lot of WWII stuff about: I live around all the old bomber airbases so there's a good few Lancaster crash sites. There's an abandoned abby near me where the moles dig up pretty fine medieval pottery: the whole field is full of the stuff.

So its pretty thick on the ground over here but it's rare to find any weapons outside major battle sites: they were too valuable to leave lying around.

But then of course there's always some lucky bugger who digs himself up a coin horde.

[MeDeFe]

They regularly find bombs from WW2 around here that didn't go off back then but might still be live. I once nearly missed my train because one of them was right where I usually go through to get to the station and I had to take a detour and run in order not to miss the train. Stupid allies and their malfunctioning weapons.

[Anarkistsdream]

Juan, I'm surprised... A topic you created that I'm interested in...

[clapper011]

ghosts of the past! where ya been narky? and this is an interesting thread juan..cool

[muy_thaiguy]

ghosts of the past! where ya been narky? and this is an interesting thread juan..cool

2 thumbs up for both.

Wyoming. Wasn't a territory until after the Civil War, though that doesn't mean we don't find plenty of interesting things out here. Though the prison in which Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid were in is still up, as well as one of the town's major benefactors, as well as this is where all 3 of the Westward trails meet/split up, and home to Independence Rock, first state to grant women's right to vote, first woman governer, first National Park, and Names Hill.

[Anarkistsdream]

I've been going to school... And working... And more work. And then some more school.

Just stopping by to say hi.

And, I'm from Oklahoma... It's easy to find things in this state that deal with the American Indians.

[snufkin]

No, Europeans are their own Indians.
We are the natives - never completely overrun by an outside force. People from asia and africa have been added to the melting pot, that´s all.

On a more local national level there have been more indigenous people (etruscans of italy, picts of scotland, sami of fennoscandinavia etc) but most european people have been moving about since the ice age.

Europe is also a lot more densely populated than north america so things just don´t lie around undiscovered to the same extent, especially not dropped weapons,
though plenty of coin treasures from a thousand+ years can be found since those were buried..

[InkL0sed]

Well, Italy and Greece have ancient civilization to dig up. I hear you can find all kinds of awesome stuff like that in Italy, practically right below the surface.

[Juan_Bottom]

We have a lot of people who go round with metal detectors looking for roman/medieval coins and such,

But then of course there's always some lucky bugger who digs himself up a coin horde.

though plenty of coin treasures from a thousand+ years can be found since those were buried..

I never realized that findinng buried roman coins was considered that common! That's pretty cool. I had a metal detector once. I never found anything.

and there's a lot of WWII stuff about:

I was expecting to hear mostly of WWII artifacts and medival pottery and other things that they wold have considered garbage 1,000 years ago. WWII was everyplace...

so there's a good few Lancaster crash sites

Really? I would have expected all of that stuff to have been scrapped by now! I see some things where tanks and planes will be pulled from riverbeds today, but I wouldn't expect any of that to be just lying in it's own crash site 70 years later!

So its pretty thick on the ground over here but it's rare to find any weapons outside major battle sites: they were too valuable to leave lying around.

I expected that. I assume the only place you'd find it is where a skirmish took place, major battle, or somewhere where the weapons couldn't be retrieved.... say a crater or something... maybe a snow covered forest... But I definitly wouldn't expect any weapons from further back than WWI to be found. Except maybe ironheads.

They regularly find bombs from WW2 around here that didn't go off back then but might still be live.

Ok, I didn't expect to hear that one!
Although, it makes sense... since so many were dropped. And in the early days bombing was unjustifyably inaccurate.

Juan, I'm surprised... A topic you created that I'm interested in...

And I'm suprised to see you!

Wasn't a territory until after the Civil War, though that doesn't mean we don't find plenty of interesting things out here.

Yeah, gotta be fair to you guys, you were part of the highway to the west.

And, I'm from Oklahoma... It's easy to find things in this state that deal with the American Indians.

So I was just talking to my Grandfather... he hauls lime, gravel, exc. for a living. The quarry he gets his stuff from found bones in a rock bed. they blew it up so they wouldn't have to report it. Awesome!

We are the natives - never completely overrun by an outside force.

That's why I thought you guys would have more to dig up. You have a much longer, and richer history than other parts of the world. Europe and Asia both do.

especially not dropped weapons,

I didn't mean to imply weapons only or anything like that. It's just here the NAs used few tools that would survive the elements. Stone Arrowheads are the most common of those. And with Europe being at war for so long, and recently, I just thought....

[snufkin]

I misunderstood the topic a bit.. thought you meant remains of civilisations/tribes that no longer occupied the land and had been replaced.. like for example Goths living in pre-slavic Poland (before they moved on became subjects of the Huns and then later on overran the western Roman empire). What they find there are graves and pottery - to leave iron behind when migrating would be stupid.

oh just to clarify.. Balsiefen is British so he can find Roman coins.
I was talking about early medieval/viking age coins. The varangian guard and viking traders came home wealthy men, and as a result Sweden´s largest island has europes highest concentration of coins from the early caliphate.
Another factor is the landscape - it´s harder to find preserved stuff where there has been large forests because it makes the ground more acidic.

There are of course lots of unexploded mines from the world wars on the sea floor.. but I didn´t know they still find live bombs in Germany.

[MeDeFe]

I think 3 or 4 unexploded bombs were found last year only in this city. They're usually discovered when streets are repaired, a building gets pulled down or a new one is built.

It's not like people go looking for them as one might do with arrowheads or musket bullets, but they are probably the most exciting remains from the past one can stumble on.

[Qwert]

Well in mine country you can find from Neolite(they discovery vilages who cover are for 500 people),romans things(some Cities are Built on Romans towns,expecialy Sirmium where people when built something new discover all roman things,and you have complete Hipodrome belove town).I heard that some guys dig Avars Royal Belt(all create from Gold)and try to sold,but they capture by police.These is abouth 40-50 km from mine home.
Im find 1800 coin from Holy Roman Empire,but its not so worthy.
You can find many small thing from WWII -hand granate,pistols. Now you can find Cluster bombs,or maybe in Budjanovci can find pieces from F117 visible bomber,if this not collect all.

[DAZMCFC]

They regularly find bombs from WW2 around here that didn't go off back then but might still be live. Stupid allies and their malfunctioning weapons.

you are your German technology. they find quite a few of your bombs unexploded now and again. like you say especailly when digging up the roads, don't hear of it as much around the Northwest, because they are mainly found around London.


maybe one of the CCers from London can give you some numbers or how frequent they turn up.



also, Jaun i wouldn't be telling everyone your Granddad blew up som old bones, they may of been onan ancient burial ground. that must be against the law over there.

[Neoteny]

It's unfortunately rather common practice. Law requires an archaeologist come in and check out any finds like that. Most people see it as a hassle and just bulldoze over it. Mostly because there have been finds so big that entire projects have to be scrapped, which is bad for the bottom line of those running the show.

I've never found any arrow tips, but we've found some pottery recently, which isn't too shabby. Lots of mounds too.

[Juan_Bottom]

also, Jaun i wouldn't be telling everyone your Granddad blew up som old bones, they may of been onan ancient burial ground. that must be against the law over there.

Oh, he doesn't work at the quarry, he just buys his gravel and sand from there. He is friends with everyone over there though, and one of them told him about it.

[brooksieb]

Well in mine country you can find from Neolite(they discovery vilages who cover are for 500 people),romans things(some Cities are Built on Romans towns,expecialy Sirmium where people when built something new discover all roman things,and you have complete Hipodrome belove town).I heard that some guys dig Avars Royal Belt(all create from Gold)and try to sold,but they capture by police.These is abouth 40-50 km from mine home.
Im find 1800 coin from Holy Roman Empire,but its not so worthy.
You can find many small thing from WWII -hand granate,pistols. Now you can find Cluster bombs,or maybe in Budjanovci can find pieces from F117 visible bomber,if this not collect all.

That is really interesting stuff especially the F117 bomber Yugoslavia was able to shootdown.

[Qwert]

That is really interesting stuff especially the F117 bomber Yugoslavia was able to shootdown.

Well you have some interesting thing,in mine country gypsies collect old metal things,and they whas first in place and start taking parts,ofcourse some to big and hevi ,they can not take,othervise who knows what will army find if not came to fast

[flashleg8]

I found a 17th century iron spear head on my dads farm when I was ploughing once when I lived there. Its corroded a bit from age but my best find by far. Probably used in the covenanting times. My dads farm lies on the probable path of retreat from the Battle of Bothwell Bridge in Hamilton (Scotland), so its likely someone threw it away when running away.

Apart from that I've found lots of broken up pottery (mostly 18th century) and a few eary clay tobacco pipes, along with the usual 19th century bottles etc. Earliest coins have all been late 19th century.