Dr Michael Lewis

Michael Lewis is Head of Portable Antiquities & Treasure at the British Museum, where he co-ordinates the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS): the PAS records archaeological finds made by the public (mostly metal-detector users) in England and Wales, as has been the model for similar projects established in the last few years, notably PAN (Netherlands). He has been involved with recording detector finds since 2000, first as PAS Finds Liaison Officer for Kent, then as Deputy Head of the PAS, and now in his current position. He is also a co-founder of the North Sea Area Finds Recording Group (NorSA). Michael is therefore supporting SuALT as an advisor, and hopes to bring his knowledge and experience of managing a national recoding scheme to the project. He is also a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London, a Member of the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists and a Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Art Scholars. He has a particular interested in medieval small finds, particularly those associated with personal religious devotion. He will take part in the Expert Advisory Panel meetings.

Selected publications:

Lewis, M. 2016. “A Detectorist’s Utopia? Archaeology and Metal-Detecting in England and Wales”  Open Archaeology 2(1): 127-39. https://doi.org/10.1515/opar-2016-0009

Lewis, M. (2016) ‘Life Insurance in the Medieval Period: insights offered by the distribution of pilgrims’ badges recently found in England’, in B. S. Bowers & L. M. Keyser (eds.), The Sacred and Secular in Medieval Healing: sites, objects and texts, pp. 266-304. Routledge.

Lewis, M. (2016) “Mounts for Furnishings, Padlocks, and Candleholders: understanding the urbanisation of medieval England through metal small finds recorded by the Portable Antiquities Scheme”, in B. Jervis, L. G. Broderick, & I Grau Sologestoa (eds.), Objects, Environment, and Everyday Life in Medieval Europe, pp. 157-85. Brepols.

Social media and other information

Michael’s Academia.edu page.

Michael’s staff page at the Portable Antiquities Scheme.