Archaeological metal detecting by amateurs in flanders: Legislation, policy and practice of a hobby

Abstract

This paper is a review and a critical evaluation of the development of (aspects of) legislation, policy and practice regarding non-professional archaeological metal detecting in Flanders. It argues that, by unofficially adopting a policy of tolerance towards this practice which is prohibited by law, the government heritage agency has created a legal grey area which had only limited success in encouraging detector users to report their finds or to make metal-detected data more easily available for research. New legislation has partly amended this situation, but other fundamental problems remain. Through an exploration of successful examples from abroad, a way forward is proposed. An active, inclusive approach that directly involves detector users in the archaeological research process, thus providing rewarding feedback, could be more effective in collecting metal-detecting data for research and heritage management purposes. On this basis, the MEDEA project is briefly introduced as a recently started, ongoing effort to create an online platform with exactly this goal.