A detectorist’s utopia? Archaeology and metal-detecting in England and Wales

Abstract

Archaeologists in England and Wales have a long tradition of liaising with metal-detectorists, particularly following the reform of Treasure law and advent of the Portable Antiquities Scheme - a project to record archaeological finds discovered by the public. Although this process of dialogue has been seen by most as productive and mutually beneficial, there still remain issues that divide archaeologists and detectorists. This paper will highlight some of these with a view to possible solutions.