pothunters
Illegal relic diggers
Pothunters are people who dig for artifacts or antiquities illegally, disturbing archaeological sites for personal gain or collection.
The term comes from hunting for "pots"—the ceramic vessels often found at such sites.
In a different sense, a pothunter is someone who competes primarily to win prizes or trophies rather than for the sport itself: He dismissed the tennis club regulars as pothunters chasing cheap silverware.
Those who steal during chaos
- treasure-huntersPeople seeking hidden valuables
- black-marketIllicit trading network
- plunderGoods seized violently
- pillagingForcible theft during conflict
Recreational pursuit enthusiasts
- collectorsThose who systematically acquire
- mudlarksRiver foreshore scavengers
- detectoristsPeople using metal finders
- antiquariansSeekers of old artifacts
rockhounds · trowel · shovel · artifacts · potsherds · midden · stratification
Organized competitive event
- tournamentMulti-round competitive event
- prizeReward for winning
- trophyAward for winning
- indiscriminateLacking selective judgment
unsportsmanlike · subsistence · quarry · wildfowl · shotgun · sportsman
Maintaining something's condition
- stewardshipResponsible care of entrusted things
- reburialSecond interment of remains
- documentationWritten proof or instructions
looters
Those who steal during chaos
- treasure-huntersPeople seeking hidden valuables
- black-marketIllicit trading network
- plunderGoods seized violently
pillaging · desecration · smuggling · repatriation · provenance
hobbyists
Recreational pursuit enthusiasts
- collectorsThose who systematically acquire
- mudlarksRiver foreshore scavengers
- detectoristsPeople using metal finders
antiquarians · rockhounds · trowel · shovel · artifacts · potsherds · midden · stratification
contest
Organized competitive event
- tournamentMulti-round competitive event
- prizeReward for winning
- trophyAward for winning
indiscriminate · unsportsmanlike · subsistence · quarry · wildfowl · shotgun · sportsman
preservation
Maintaining something's condition
- stewardshipResponsible care of entrusted things
- reburialSecond interment of remains
- documentationWritten proof or instructions