Report of the Portable Antiquities Scheme 2021

Abstract

Summary The Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) is a partnership project, funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and Welsh Government, run by the British Museum in England and Amgueddfa Cymru-Museum Wales in Wales, with over 40 archaeologists – Finds Liaison Officers (FLOs) – based at partner institutions throughout these two countries. It exists to record small finds made by members of the public, for the advancement of knowledge and to preserve the archaeological record. Since its inception as a pilot project covering six counties in 1997, it has recorded more than 1.6 million objects on its online database at https://finds.org.uk, the vast majority of these voluntarily submitted (the exception being finds meeting the definition of Treasure, which must be reported by law). The data amassed by the PAS has been used in hundreds of research projects and feeds into local Historic Environment Records. This round-up of finds recorded with the PAS covers the period between 1 January and 31 December 2021, for everything classed as ‘Post-Medieval’ (c.1500–c.1900) or ‘Modern’ (c.1901–present) on its database.