Dr Tess Machling
@tessmachling.bsky.social
Archaeologist, gold & torc researcher, chocolate artefact maker & mum. Often post about cats who aren't mine...
Views all my own 😊
Green party 💚
She/her 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️
Work on torcs & gold: https://bigbookoftorcs.com
Buy me a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/tess317409
Views all my own 😊
Green party 💚
She/her 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️
Work on torcs & gold: https://bigbookoftorcs.com
Buy me a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/tess317409
Pinned
Hello folks. I've been making plaster of paris artefacts/decorations for friends.
I'm opening it up here now - all items incl. postage (UK only, sadly) & gift packaging. I can send things within a week, usually faster.
Anyway, if there's anything you fancy, message/email me! 😊
#Archaeology 🏺
I'm opening it up here now - all items incl. postage (UK only, sadly) & gift packaging. I can send things within a week, usually faster.
Anyway, if there's anything you fancy, message/email me! 😊
#Archaeology 🏺
As a break from insanity that is archaeology, I spent the morning helping plant 1000 fritillary bulbs in Verulamium park - part of a superb project to make River Ver a bit more healthy & a bit less floody...
Really lovely bunch of folks. 😊
I've even got me own hi-viz & found a bit of Roman tile! 🤣
Really lovely bunch of folks. 😊
I've even got me own hi-viz & found a bit of Roman tile! 🤣
November 11, 2025 at 12:59 PM
As a break from insanity that is archaeology, I spent the morning helping plant 1000 fritillary bulbs in Verulamium park - part of a superb project to make River Ver a bit more healthy & a bit less floody...
Really lovely bunch of folks. 😊
I've even got me own hi-viz & found a bit of Roman tile! 🤣
Really lovely bunch of folks. 😊
I've even got me own hi-viz & found a bit of Roman tile! 🤣
Arrrrghhhhhhhhhhhh!
When museums aren't even in the thought process, you know things have gone badly wrong...
#Archaeology 🏺
When museums aren't even in the thought process, you know things have gone badly wrong...
#Archaeology 🏺
Or .... could it be donated to a museum 🤔 .
Our history, for future generations, not sold off to the highest bidder & lost!
Isle of Wight detectorist unearths 'the find of a lifetime'
“Either one of us will keep it, or it will have to go to auction"
share.google/UpKyAzIurksY...
Our history, for future generations, not sold off to the highest bidder & lost!
Isle of Wight detectorist unearths 'the find of a lifetime'
“Either one of us will keep it, or it will have to go to auction"
share.google/UpKyAzIurksY...
Island metal detectorist unearths 'the find of a lifetime'
On one special morning, club members visited an Isle of Wight field which had not been touched by a metal detector for several years.
share.google
November 11, 2025 at 12:34 PM
Arrrrghhhhhhhhhhhh!
When museums aren't even in the thought process, you know things have gone badly wrong...
#Archaeology 🏺
When museums aren't even in the thought process, you know things have gone badly wrong...
#Archaeology 🏺
Epic clusterf*ck of gargantuan proportions...
No faith left in this lot. I'm not at all sure the Greens should be getting anywhere near this total liability.
This isn't about 'finding our way', or being 'grassroots' - this is about petty squabbles, factionalism & a total lack of political savvy.
No faith left in this lot. I'm not at all sure the Greens should be getting anywhere near this total liability.
This isn't about 'finding our way', or being 'grassroots' - this is about petty squabbles, factionalism & a total lack of political savvy.
Three people who’d be expected to be Your Party bigwigs have largely walked away from Corbyn’s project: former NE mayor Jamie Driscoll, former Labour MP Beth Winter, and former ANC MP Andrew Feinstein.
I have some new intel on the fall-out, if you’re interested in that sort of thing… 🧵
I have some new intel on the fall-out, if you’re interested in that sort of thing… 🧵
November 10, 2025 at 10:58 PM
Epic clusterf*ck of gargantuan proportions...
No faith left in this lot. I'm not at all sure the Greens should be getting anywhere near this total liability.
This isn't about 'finding our way', or being 'grassroots' - this is about petty squabbles, factionalism & a total lack of political savvy.
No faith left in this lot. I'm not at all sure the Greens should be getting anywhere near this total liability.
This isn't about 'finding our way', or being 'grassroots' - this is about petty squabbles, factionalism & a total lack of political savvy.
Urrghhh, this BBC thing is a total ruddy stitch-up, but goodness, they walked right into it... 😔
November 10, 2025 at 8:14 PM
Urrghhh, this BBC thing is a total ruddy stitch-up, but goodness, they walked right into it... 😔
Solidarity with @archanchistleic.bsky.social and Dept of History (amongst others) at University of Leicester starting two weeks of strikes today over appalling redundancies. 💪
#Archaeology 🏺 #History
www.uculeicester.org.uk/information-...
#Archaeology 🏺 #History
www.uculeicester.org.uk/information-...
Information for Supporters: Leicester UCU Strike 2025 | University of Leicester UCU
www.uculeicester.org.uk
November 10, 2025 at 3:01 PM
Solidarity with @archanchistleic.bsky.social and Dept of History (amongst others) at University of Leicester starting two weeks of strikes today over appalling redundancies. 💪
#Archaeology 🏺 #History
www.uculeicester.org.uk/information-...
#Archaeology 🏺 #History
www.uculeicester.org.uk/information-...
Hello folks. I've been making plaster of paris artefacts/decorations for friends.
I'm opening it up here now - all items incl. postage (UK only, sadly) & gift packaging. I can send things within a week, usually faster.
Anyway, if there's anything you fancy, message/email me! 😊
#Archaeology 🏺
I'm opening it up here now - all items incl. postage (UK only, sadly) & gift packaging. I can send things within a week, usually faster.
Anyway, if there's anything you fancy, message/email me! 😊
#Archaeology 🏺
November 10, 2025 at 1:42 PM
Hello folks. I've been making plaster of paris artefacts/decorations for friends.
I'm opening it up here now - all items incl. postage (UK only, sadly) & gift packaging. I can send things within a week, usually faster.
Anyway, if there's anything you fancy, message/email me! 😊
#Archaeology 🏺
I'm opening it up here now - all items incl. postage (UK only, sadly) & gift packaging. I can send things within a week, usually faster.
Anyway, if there's anything you fancy, message/email me! 😊
#Archaeology 🏺
Watching Empire & feeling heartened to see stories being told. My PhD was 21 yrs ago & then it was niche, unfashionable: scholarship on forts was very much a 'man' thing & about guns & sightlines, rather than who had built, worked in or been enslaved in sight of, these forts...
1/3
#Archaeology 🏺
1/3
#Archaeology 🏺
My new series - Empire With David Olusoga - starts 9pm on BBC Two. Whole series on @bbciplayer.bsky.social from tonight.
November 9, 2025 at 8:32 PM
Watching Empire & feeling heartened to see stories being told. My PhD was 21 yrs ago & then it was niche, unfashionable: scholarship on forts was very much a 'man' thing & about guns & sightlines, rather than who had built, worked in or been enslaved in sight of, these forts...
1/3
#Archaeology 🏺
1/3
#Archaeology 🏺
Well, that'll be the RA reminding me I can no longer work in the concentrated way I used to...
I would say it's a total pain in the ar§e, but that's ironically the one part of me that doesn't hurt right now!! 🤣
Blurgh... 🥴
I would say it's a total pain in the ar§e, but that's ironically the one part of me that doesn't hurt right now!! 🤣
Blurgh... 🥴
November 9, 2025 at 6:31 PM
Well, that'll be the RA reminding me I can no longer work in the concentrated way I used to...
I would say it's a total pain in the ar§e, but that's ironically the one part of me that doesn't hurt right now!! 🤣
Blurgh... 🥴
I would say it's a total pain in the ar§e, but that's ironically the one part of me that doesn't hurt right now!! 🤣
Blurgh... 🥴
My dad was folk singer & used to sing this to me when I was small - I knew all the words before I knew most things. Such a beautiful song.
I did work on Inniskillings (McBride's regiment) as part of my PhD - they'd been posted to Caribbean in 18th century & got lost...
youtube.com/watch?v=rU4e...
I did work on Inniskillings (McBride's regiment) as part of my PhD - they'd been posted to Caribbean in 18th century & got lost...
youtube.com/watch?v=rU4e...
Gavin Gribben - The Green Fields of France. Written by Eric Bogle. (The Fureys)
YouTube video by Dublin City Today
youtube.com
November 9, 2025 at 11:17 AM
My dad was folk singer & used to sing this to me when I was small - I knew all the words before I knew most things. Such a beautiful song.
I did work on Inniskillings (McBride's regiment) as part of my PhD - they'd been posted to Caribbean in 18th century & got lost...
youtube.com/watch?v=rU4e...
I did work on Inniskillings (McBride's regiment) as part of my PhD - they'd been posted to Caribbean in 18th century & got lost...
youtube.com/watch?v=rU4e...
Reposted by Dr Tess Machling
I don't know about sad-sack... this definitely needs shouting about!
If you have nowt better to do with your weekend, or are a sad-sack like me, these videos are well worth a watch.
Notable for me was Gail Boyle's evidence from the museum perspective and also the reps fun the Lottery funds and Art Fund.
Cont'd
#Archaeology #Treasure #Detecting 🏺
Notable for me was Gail Boyle's evidence from the museum perspective and also the reps fun the Lottery funds and Art Fund.
Cont'd
#Archaeology #Treasure #Detecting 🏺
Inquiry
APPAG Inquiry on Archaeology and Metal-detecting Relations between archaeologists and the metal-detecting community have improved significantly over the last 25, especially with the establishment o…
appgarchaeology.wordpress.com
November 9, 2025 at 9:37 AM
I don't know about sad-sack... this definitely needs shouting about!
If you have nowt better to do with your weekend, or are a sad-sack like me, these videos are well worth a watch.
Notable for me was Gail Boyle's evidence from the museum perspective and also the reps fun the Lottery funds and Art Fund.
Cont'd
#Archaeology #Treasure #Detecting 🏺
Notable for me was Gail Boyle's evidence from the museum perspective and also the reps fun the Lottery funds and Art Fund.
Cont'd
#Archaeology #Treasure #Detecting 🏺
Inquiry
APPAG Inquiry on Archaeology and Metal-detecting Relations between archaeologists and the metal-detecting community have improved significantly over the last 25, especially with the establishment o…
appgarchaeology.wordpress.com
November 8, 2025 at 8:13 PM
If you have nowt better to do with your weekend, or are a sad-sack like me, these videos are well worth a watch.
Notable for me was Gail Boyle's evidence from the museum perspective and also the reps fun the Lottery funds and Art Fund.
Cont'd
#Archaeology #Treasure #Detecting 🏺
Notable for me was Gail Boyle's evidence from the museum perspective and also the reps fun the Lottery funds and Art Fund.
Cont'd
#Archaeology #Treasure #Detecting 🏺
Reposted by Dr Tess Machling
My unpopular thought on this is that the bling we pay million pound ransoms to land owners & metal detectorsists for... Is not worth that much money. I get that it has that exchange value, that a billionaire would buy it for that so we couldn't see it. But we, as a nation, don't get that much value
A guest blog, which adds more detail to the narrative of detecting in England & Wales.
Thank you to my anonymous colleague for writing this important piece & for allowing me to host it on the Big Book of Torcs! 😊
#Archaeology #Detecting #Torcs #gold #Treasure
bigbookoftorcs.com/2025/11/08/w...
Thank you to my anonymous colleague for writing this important piece & for allowing me to host it on the Big Book of Torcs! 😊
#Archaeology #Detecting #Torcs #gold #Treasure
bigbookoftorcs.com/2025/11/08/w...
“Who Pays for the Hobby?”: Metal Detecting in England and Wales
[A download/print PDF version can be found at the end of the paper] This is a first for The Big Book of Torcs. Today, I open up BBoT to a guest blog, written by a friend and archaeological colleagu…
bigbookoftorcs.com
November 8, 2025 at 2:53 PM
My unpopular thought on this is that the bling we pay million pound ransoms to land owners & metal detectorsists for... Is not worth that much money. I get that it has that exchange value, that a billionaire would buy it for that so we couldn't see it. But we, as a nation, don't get that much value
Reposted by Dr Tess Machling
An important continuation of the discussion
A guest blog, which adds more detail to the narrative of detecting in England & Wales.
Thank you to my anonymous colleague for writing this important piece & for allowing me to host it on the Big Book of Torcs! 😊
#Archaeology #Detecting #Torcs #gold #Treasure
bigbookoftorcs.com/2025/11/08/w...
Thank you to my anonymous colleague for writing this important piece & for allowing me to host it on the Big Book of Torcs! 😊
#Archaeology #Detecting #Torcs #gold #Treasure
bigbookoftorcs.com/2025/11/08/w...
“Who Pays for the Hobby?”: Metal Detecting in England and Wales
[A download/print PDF version can be found at the end of the paper] This is a first for The Big Book of Torcs. Today, I open up BBoT to a guest blog, written by a friend and archaeological colleagu…
bigbookoftorcs.com
November 8, 2025 at 1:54 PM
An important continuation of the discussion
Reposted by Dr Tess Machling
What is wrong with metal detecting
A guest blog, which adds more detail to the narrative of detecting in England & Wales.
Thank you to my anonymous colleague for writing this important piece & for allowing me to host it on the Big Book of Torcs! 😊
#Archaeology #Detecting #Torcs #gold #Treasure
bigbookoftorcs.com/2025/11/08/w...
Thank you to my anonymous colleague for writing this important piece & for allowing me to host it on the Big Book of Torcs! 😊
#Archaeology #Detecting #Torcs #gold #Treasure
bigbookoftorcs.com/2025/11/08/w...
“Who Pays for the Hobby?”: Metal Detecting in England and Wales
[A download/print PDF version can be found at the end of the paper] This is a first for The Big Book of Torcs. Today, I open up BBoT to a guest blog, written by a friend and archaeological colleagu…
bigbookoftorcs.com
November 8, 2025 at 1:39 PM
What is wrong with metal detecting
Reposted by Dr Tess Machling
This will interest folks in the US where avocational v. professional archaeology has a long & mostly adversarial relationship. I loved this: "Where the antiquaries of the Enlightenment were custodians of the past, many modern detectorists have become its prospectors." 🗃️
A guest blog, which adds more detail to the narrative of detecting in England & Wales.
Thank you to my anonymous colleague for writing this important piece & for allowing me to host it on the Big Book of Torcs! 😊
#Archaeology #Detecting #Torcs #gold #Treasure
bigbookoftorcs.com/2025/11/08/w...
Thank you to my anonymous colleague for writing this important piece & for allowing me to host it on the Big Book of Torcs! 😊
#Archaeology #Detecting #Torcs #gold #Treasure
bigbookoftorcs.com/2025/11/08/w...
“Who Pays for the Hobby?”: Metal Detecting in England and Wales
[A download/print PDF version can be found at the end of the paper] This is a first for The Big Book of Torcs. Today, I open up BBoT to a guest blog, written by a friend and archaeological colleagu…
bigbookoftorcs.com
November 8, 2025 at 1:16 PM
This will interest folks in the US where avocational v. professional archaeology has a long & mostly adversarial relationship. I loved this: "Where the antiquaries of the Enlightenment were custodians of the past, many modern detectorists have become its prospectors." 🗃️
Reposted by Dr Tess Machling
"The ethical inversion is stark, private gain: public cost." @tessmachling.bsky.social sharing another highly informed and articulate viewpoint on the current metal detecting crisis in the UK. 🏺🦣
A guest blog, which adds more detail to the narrative of detecting in England & Wales.
Thank you to my anonymous colleague for writing this important piece & for allowing me to host it on the Big Book of Torcs! 😊
#Archaeology #Detecting #Torcs #gold #Treasure
bigbookoftorcs.com/2025/11/08/w...
Thank you to my anonymous colleague for writing this important piece & for allowing me to host it on the Big Book of Torcs! 😊
#Archaeology #Detecting #Torcs #gold #Treasure
bigbookoftorcs.com/2025/11/08/w...
“Who Pays for the Hobby?”: Metal Detecting in England and Wales
[A download/print PDF version can be found at the end of the paper] This is a first for The Big Book of Torcs. Today, I open up BBoT to a guest blog, written by a friend and archaeological colleagu…
bigbookoftorcs.com
November 8, 2025 at 6:40 AM
"The ethical inversion is stark, private gain: public cost." @tessmachling.bsky.social sharing another highly informed and articulate viewpoint on the current metal detecting crisis in the UK. 🏺🦣
A guest blog, which adds more detail to the narrative of detecting in England & Wales.
Thank you to my anonymous colleague for writing this important piece & for allowing me to host it on the Big Book of Torcs! 😊
#Archaeology #Detecting #Torcs #gold #Treasure
bigbookoftorcs.com/2025/11/08/w...
Thank you to my anonymous colleague for writing this important piece & for allowing me to host it on the Big Book of Torcs! 😊
#Archaeology #Detecting #Torcs #gold #Treasure
bigbookoftorcs.com/2025/11/08/w...
“Who Pays for the Hobby?”: Metal Detecting in England and Wales
[A download/print PDF version can be found at the end of the paper] This is a first for The Big Book of Torcs. Today, I open up BBoT to a guest blog, written by a friend and archaeological colleagu…
bigbookoftorcs.com
November 8, 2025 at 6:32 AM
A guest blog, which adds more detail to the narrative of detecting in England & Wales.
Thank you to my anonymous colleague for writing this important piece & for allowing me to host it on the Big Book of Torcs! 😊
#Archaeology #Detecting #Torcs #gold #Treasure
bigbookoftorcs.com/2025/11/08/w...
Thank you to my anonymous colleague for writing this important piece & for allowing me to host it on the Big Book of Torcs! 😊
#Archaeology #Detecting #Torcs #gold #Treasure
bigbookoftorcs.com/2025/11/08/w...
Coming tomorrow... a guest blog from a good friend and colleague -
“Who Pays for the Hobby?”: Metal Detecting in England and Wales.
You won't want to miss it! 😊
#Archaeology
“Who Pays for the Hobby?”: Metal Detecting in England and Wales.
You won't want to miss it! 😊
#Archaeology
November 7, 2025 at 8:13 PM
Coming tomorrow... a guest blog from a good friend and colleague -
“Who Pays for the Hobby?”: Metal Detecting in England and Wales.
You won't want to miss it! 😊
#Archaeology
“Who Pays for the Hobby?”: Metal Detecting in England and Wales.
You won't want to miss it! 😊
#Archaeology
Sooooo clever and lovely!! ❤️
Sharing the final version of my Ceffyl Dwr for #FolkloreFriday. Absolutely loved making this needle felt creation and getting really into the wire frame modelling
November 7, 2025 at 5:37 PM
Sooooo clever and lovely!! ❤️
November 7, 2025 at 11:29 AM
Reposted by Dr Tess Machling
Not just archeology, also important fossil finds. Lucky for the public, the finders of Dracoraptor in Wales, gave it to the National Museum Cardiff and it's on display.
Today's news:
What happens when museums can't afford to buy coins...
'Auctioneer, David Guest said the "stunning" coins were sold to "bidders from all over the world and exceeded my expectations".'
Bidders.
From.
All.
Over.
The.
World.
😡
#Archaeology 🏺 #Detecting
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
What happens when museums can't afford to buy coins...
'Auctioneer, David Guest said the "stunning" coins were sold to "bidders from all over the world and exceeded my expectations".'
Bidders.
From.
All.
Over.
The.
World.
😡
#Archaeology 🏺 #Detecting
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
New Forest hoard of 70 coins dug up in lockdown fetch over £380k
The 69 gold coins and one silver were found in a garden in Milford on Sea in April 2020.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 7, 2025 at 9:01 AM
Not just archeology, also important fossil finds. Lucky for the public, the finders of Dracoraptor in Wales, gave it to the National Museum Cardiff and it's on display.
Reposted by Dr Tess Machling
One of the many (silly, nonsensical) arguments that anti-repatriation folks have is that if we return all of the stolen artefacts, our museums would be empty.
Meanwhile, artefacts dug up by metal detectors in this country are being sold off…wonder where their outrage is? 🤔
Meanwhile, artefacts dug up by metal detectors in this country are being sold off…wonder where their outrage is? 🤔
Today's news:
What happens when museums can't afford to buy coins...
'Auctioneer, David Guest said the "stunning" coins were sold to "bidders from all over the world and exceeded my expectations".'
Bidders.
From.
All.
Over.
The.
World.
😡
#Archaeology 🏺 #Detecting
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
What happens when museums can't afford to buy coins...
'Auctioneer, David Guest said the "stunning" coins were sold to "bidders from all over the world and exceeded my expectations".'
Bidders.
From.
All.
Over.
The.
World.
😡
#Archaeology 🏺 #Detecting
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
New Forest hoard of 70 coins dug up in lockdown fetch over £380k
The 69 gold coins and one silver were found in a garden in Milford on Sea in April 2020.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 7, 2025 at 7:57 AM
One of the many (silly, nonsensical) arguments that anti-repatriation folks have is that if we return all of the stolen artefacts, our museums would be empty.
Meanwhile, artefacts dug up by metal detectors in this country are being sold off…wonder where their outrage is? 🤔
Meanwhile, artefacts dug up by metal detectors in this country are being sold off…wonder where their outrage is? 🤔
Over the last couple of years, I have become increasingly interested in the politics of torcs, gold and 'treasure'.
If you want to read my ongoing thoughts on this, you can find everything here.
Thank you for reading... 😊
#Archaeology #Torcs #Gold #Detecting
bigbookoftorcs.com/who-owns-tor...
If you want to read my ongoing thoughts on this, you can find everything here.
Thank you for reading... 😊
#Archaeology #Torcs #Gold #Detecting
bigbookoftorcs.com/who-owns-tor...
Who ‘owns’ Torcs?
These papers look at who owns, or believes they own, our shared national heritage – be that the artefacts themselves or the research that stems from them. In these, I look at some of the issu…
bigbookoftorcs.com
November 7, 2025 at 7:46 AM
Over the last couple of years, I have become increasingly interested in the politics of torcs, gold and 'treasure'.
If you want to read my ongoing thoughts on this, you can find everything here.
Thank you for reading... 😊
#Archaeology #Torcs #Gold #Detecting
bigbookoftorcs.com/who-owns-tor...
If you want to read my ongoing thoughts on this, you can find everything here.
Thank you for reading... 😊
#Archaeology #Torcs #Gold #Detecting
bigbookoftorcs.com/who-owns-tor...
Reposted by Dr Tess Machling
Metal Detecting needs change.
Today's news:
What happens when museums can't afford to buy coins...
'Auctioneer, David Guest said the "stunning" coins were sold to "bidders from all over the world and exceeded my expectations".'
Bidders.
From.
All.
Over.
The.
World.
😡
#Archaeology 🏺 #Detecting
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
What happens when museums can't afford to buy coins...
'Auctioneer, David Guest said the "stunning" coins were sold to "bidders from all over the world and exceeded my expectations".'
Bidders.
From.
All.
Over.
The.
World.
😡
#Archaeology 🏺 #Detecting
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
New Forest hoard of 70 coins dug up in lockdown fetch over £380k
The 69 gold coins and one silver were found in a garden in Milford on Sea in April 2020.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 7, 2025 at 6:15 AM
Metal Detecting needs change.