‘Stolen Glory’ – Uproar as Lincoln Archaeologists’ Roman Artefact Replica Pops Up on eBay

A tempest in an archaeological teapot has been stirred after an American eBay seller listed a ‘museum grade’ replica of a Roman dodecahedron unearthed by Lincoln’s own Norton Disney History and Archaeology Group. Richard Parker, the eagle-eyed discoverer of the original artefact, kicked up a fuss after spotting the carbon copy on the online auction site, using his group’s photographs without permission. In what felt like a slap in the face to the Lincoln history buffs, the American seller priced the replica at a hefty £200. ‘The fact that no one had even sought permission to reuse our photographs is really galling,’ an irked Parker exclaimed. The genuine dodecahedron, a curious object that has left experts scratching their heads over its true purpose, is one of only 33 discovered in Britain and the first in the Midlands. An indignant Parker also took issue with the replica’s accuracy, saying, ‘The chap’s never once laid eyes on the real thing, let alone examined it. They’ve merely made an educated guess.’ The seller, however, defended his hobby of crafting and hand-painting archaeological replicas, offering to send his creation to the Lincoln team for a critique. Dr Lacey Wallace, a senior lecturer at The University of Lincoln, clarified that it’s not illegal to produce replicas, as long as they’re not touted as real. She argues that replicas can be valuable aids for museums, lecturers, and researchers. eBay, having stepped into the fray, stated they have ‘multiple protections in place to ensure intellectual property owners’ rights are respected.’