A Realm of Virtual Knowledge: Exploring the Capacities of Norwegian Metal-detected Assemblages

Abstract

This paper explores the knowledge potential of the Norwegian metal-detected assemblage through the conceptual framework of assemblage thinking. Drawing on the concepts of the actual/virtual, affect and coding, combined with the actor-network theory (ANT) notion of inscriptions, I discuss the metal-detected assemblage’s realm of potential for new archaeological knowledge. I identify and articulate the constituents of the Norwegian metal-detected assemblage, identifying inscriptions and coding mechanisms affecting the phenomenon of metal detecting in the present, such as policies, management practices and cataloguing. Further, I discuss how these practices frame specific types of objectives, constituting and affecting the virtual diagram of the particular assemblage. In conclusion, Norwegian archaeological practices enable specific types of objectives, actualising specific types of knowledge.