Pothunter

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An archaeologist or artifact collector who digs up ancient objects primarily to find valuable items rather than for scholarly study ; an athlete who competes mainly to win prizes or money
2. Someone who excavates historical sites in search of valuable artifacts without proper scientific methodology ; a competitor motivated chiefly by monetary rewards or trophies
3. A person who searches for and unearths antiquities for profit or personal gain rather than academic knowledge ; an athlete whose primary goal is winning prizes rather than the love of sport

Etymology: "Pothunter" joins "pot," in the sense of a cooking pot, to "hunter," and it has two senses that come from quite different contexts. In its hunting sense, it describes someone who hunts game simply to put it in the cooking pot, with no interest in sport or trophies. The archaeological sense is almost the reverse of that everyday meaning: it describes someone who seeks out old pottery, usually ancient vessels, in order to sell them. Both senses share the same logic. In each, the "pot" is the goal of the hunt, whether that is a meal or an object of value on the market. The archaeological sense is the one most readers will encounter in books and news about looted sites, where the word carries a clearly negative charge because it implies digging without regard for the record of the past.

Synonyms: pot hunter, fortune seeker