What are the rules and laws that relate to finding ancient artifacts in the ground or water of your country?
May 7, 2025
Let’s say I wanted to bring a metal detector , and I were to find items of historic value. What could I take home? Report to authorities, etc.?
2 comments
Any artifacts in the ground that’s been there longer than 1711 is property of the state. You may go out to search for artifacts but you have to contact the state if you find anything. 99% of people don’t do this obviously tho. There is not much of a risk to it, they’d never find your treasure normally only if they get a warrant to search the house which is highly unlikely for this. But if they do you’ll get a few years in prison with a high fine so make sure to hide it properly.
Edit: it’s Hungary
In general, anything of value that you find that cannot be determined to be the rightful possession of a person is considered “danefæ” (dead treasure) and thus property of the state. So, that will include most things of value that you could dig up (and finding something in itself doesn’t mean it is your property). There are of course exceptions and specifications (such as based on type of object and date of origin) to this, but it would be too long to write out everything here.
If you find something that is likely danefæ, you must contact the nearest public museum and announce your find, and they will start the process of determining whether or not it is danefæ. If it is, you (unless you are working on an official dig site) are entitled to a bounty for the find. If you are found to have hidden such a find, you can be fined or, in grievous cases, get a prison sentence
2 comments
Any artifacts in the ground that’s been there longer than 1711 is property of the state. You may go out to search for artifacts but you have to contact the state if you find anything. 99% of people don’t do this obviously tho. There is not much of a risk to it, they’d never find your treasure normally only if they get a warrant to search the house which is highly unlikely for this. But if they do you’ll get a few years in prison with a high fine so make sure to hide it properly.
Edit: it’s Hungary
In general, anything of value that you find that cannot be determined to be the rightful possession of a person is considered “danefæ” (dead treasure) and thus property of the state. So, that will include most things of value that you could dig up (and finding something in itself doesn’t mean it is your property). There are of course exceptions and specifications (such as based on type of object and date of origin) to this, but it would be too long to write out everything here.
If you find something that is likely danefæ, you must contact the nearest public museum and announce your find, and they will start the process of determining whether or not it is danefæ. If it is, you (unless you are working on an official dig site) are entitled to a bounty for the find. If you are found to have hidden such a find, you can be fined or, in grievous cases, get a prison sentence