Situation Report on Metal Detecting : Proposals for an Operational Framework of Responsible Metal Detecting

Rácz, Tibor Ákos (2024) Situation Report on Metal Detecting : Proposals for an Operational Framework of Responsible Metal Detecting. HUNGARIAN ARCHAEOLOGY, 13 (2). pp. 89-95. ISSN 2416-0296

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Abstract

The 1st National Community Archaeology Conference, a forum for summarising the results of cooperation with the civil sector (especially metal detectorists) and methodological systematisation, was held in Hungary in the autumn of 2021 (Rácz & Mag 2021). Analysing the presentations of the second national conference held two years later (Bakos 2023), we can conclude that in just two years, the number of cooperation projects supported by museums has doubled, many new actors have emerged in the field of community archaeology, and heritage institutions have adapted to the new trends (Fig 1). However, besides rejoicing at the evident professional successes, a striking difference of opinions has emerged in the accompanying debates and roundtable discussions about the legitimacy of metal detecting, especially of unsupervised fieldwork and the institutional background of programme organisation. In light of the forthcoming Heritage Protection Act, I would like to reflect on the new challenges surfacing in the context of this explosively spreading hobby. This paper is not my mere private opinion but an official statement by the Community Archaeology Association’s board and members; it was developed based on a decade of experience in programme organisation and a thorough discussion of the respective matters of principle. Following a consultation, we also sent an abbreviated version of this statement to the Deputy State Secretariat for the Protection of Historic Monuments at the Ministry of Construction and Transport in April 2024. The aims of our initiative and the proposals presented below are to promote a more engaged professional dialogue on metal detecting and address the problems associated with it.

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