Roger Bland

Head of Portable Antiquities and Treasure

Portable Antiquities and Treasure

Department: Portable Antiquities and Treasure

Telephone: +44 (0)20 7323 8611
Email: rbland @ thebritishmuseum.ac.uk

Roger was formerly a curator in the Department of Coins and Medals and was seconded to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport for seven years. Roger is responsible for the Portable Antiquities Scheme, a project to record all archaeological objects found by the public in England and Wales, and for the Museum’s operation of the Treasure Act. 

The Portable Antiquities Scheme consists of 47 posts based in museums, universities and archaeological services all around England and Wales, with six based in the Museum. The objects are recorded on the Scheme’s online database available at www.finds.org.uk and is now the largest online archaeological resource of its kind and it is currently growing by over 50,000 objects each year. The Treasure side of the department’s work consists of administering finds reported as Treasure – in 2006 there were 673 of these – with a team of a Treasure Registrar and four Assistant Registrars.

Current British Museum projects

Previous British Museum projects

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External fellowships/ honorary positions/ membership of professional bodies

Honorary Lecturer, Institute of Archaeology, University College London

Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries and the Royal Numismatic Society

Member of British Numismatic Society; Institute of Field Archaeologists; Council for British Archaeology; Museums Association; Finds Research Group; Rescue; Society of Museum Archaeologists; All-Party Archaeology Group Advisory Group; FDA (Convenor, Culture Section and BM Branch)

Publications

R. Bland (ed.), Portable Antiquities. Annual Reports 1997-2006 (Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Museums and Libraries and Archives Council, British Museum, 1999-2006)

R. Bland (ed.), Reports on the Operation of the Treasure Act 1997-2004, Department for Culture, Media and Sport, 2000-06

R. Bland, `Rescuing our neglected heritage: the evolution of the Government’s policy on Portable Antiquities and Treasure’, Cultural Trends, 14 (4), No. 56 (December 2005) pp. 257-96

R. Bland, A. M. Burnett and J. Orna-Ornstein (eds.) Coin Hoards from Roman Britain, vols. III, VI, VII, VIII, IX and X (British Museum, 1982-97)

R. Bland, The Cunetio Treasure with E. M. Besly, (British Museum Publications, 1983)

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