Archaeological heritage and metal detectors: Should we be managing supply or demand?

Abstract

Andalusian legislation prohibits unauthorised intervention on archaeological sites, whether by professional archaeologists conducting excavations or amateurs searching for archaeological objects with metal detectors. The use of these devices is only permitted for research teams or in places where there is no reason to expect archaeological remains to be found. Violations of these provisions are punishable with fines and the confiscation of devices. Contrary to the popular belief of many northern European archaeologists who write about this issue, the underlying reasoning for these restrictions is not the regular use of such devices to obtain major archaeological spoils, much less a mistrust between professional archaeologists and amateurs, but rather reasons of an axiological nature. (1) The law establishes the public ownership of archaeological heritage as a social good, the value of which supersedes private interests and the right to private property. (2) The law also provides that archaeological heritage is a finite and non-renewable resource and establishes the obligation to transmit this heritage to future generations. (3) The law promotes archaeological activities guided by an interest in historical knowledge rather than the mere pleasure of locating ‘treasure’. The regular enforcement of this policy has led to both a decline in the number of detector users freely seeking archaeological remains at archaeological sites and a proliferation of detector users on beaches. It has also encouraged the integration of detectorists in archaeological research teams. This model emphasises demand management, based on the understanding that archaeological heritage is a finite, non-renewable resource. It thus stands in contrast to other models that aim to manage supply.