[MSN] Archaeological collection discovered after relic hunter's death. An unusual collection of over 3,000 archaeological items was discovered two years ago in a Prague apartment whose owner died in a fire.

Wed Jan 16 05:50:31 CET 2008

Archaeological collection discovered after relic hunter's death
An unusual collection of over 3,000 archaeological items was discovered two
years ago in a Prague apartment whose owner died in a fire. Archaeologists
who have examined the collection say it contains some unique artefacts -
with very little scientific value because vital information about their
origin is missing. Experts complain that people with metal detectors who dig
for treasures of the past are causing more harm than they might think. 

Images:
http://www.radio.cz/en/article/99630 

Miroslav DobešWhen a young man died in his Prague apartment two years ago
after a cigarette set his bed on fire, the firemen who came to help made an
unusual discovery. The man's one-bedroom apartment was chock-full of
strange-looking metal objects, obviously from prehistoric times. As the
amateur archaeologist had no relatives, experts from the Czech Academy of
Sciences' Archaeological Institute were asked to go through more than 3000
items which would be worth millions on the black market. Miroslav Dobeš of
the Archaeological Institute explains what some of the most precious pieces
are. 
 "First I'd like to mention this spectacle-shaped pendant. It is one of the
oldest copper objects in Central Europe - we are talking here about the
period around 4000 years BC. Roughly ten such pendants have been uncovered
in Bohemia, Moravia and Western Slovakia. Since we don't know where it comes
from, its information value is practically non-existent although its
material value is incalculable." 
The archaeologists searched the apartment for any records that would show
where the artefacts came from, but found nothing about the origin of all the
bowls, cups, clips, bracelets, pins, rings and axes. Amateur treasure
hunters don't care about the analytical part of the job and dig wherever
their detectors start to beep. This is one of the reasons why professional
archaeologists see red when they come across these people at work. Martin
Kuna is the deputy director of the Archaeological Institute of the Czech
Academy of Sciences. 
 Martin Kuna "Another reason is that most of these finds eventually end up
in private collections where they lose most of their information, or
scientific, value. And few are perhaps aware of yet another reason why using
metal detectors for this purpose is harmful - when large amounts of metal
objects are regularly brought to light, there are simply not enough
archaeologists to examine them properly." 
 Experts warn that the case of the dead collector with a huge heap of
anonymous items is just the tip of the iceberg. An estimated 10,000 metal
detectors are currently used in the pursuit of this hobby in the Czech
Republic, and hundreds of thousands of treasures are thought to be stashed
in private collections. Some treasure hunters cooperate with museums and
only explore locations designated by experts, but on the whole, Martin Kuna
says, something should be done to prevent people with metal detectors from
causing more damage in the future. 
 "The law is too weak in this respect. Even when you catch one of those
people at the site with a detector and a golden coin in his pocket, you
cannot prove that he dug it out right there. Perhaps access to
archaeological sites for people with metal detectors should be banned, and
perhaps users of metal detectors should be registered." 
The fate of the collection of more than 3,000 items will be decided by
lawyers. Experts from the Prague Archaeological Institute suggest that after
all the finds have been documented, they should become part of a comparative
study collection at an archaeology department of some Czech university. 

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