Archaeology of the Modern era and contemporary archaeology in Hungary?

Abstract

According to the current legislation in Hungary, finds and relics buried before CE 1711, representing material remains of historical periods dating before that, are considered archaeological heritage. In other words, the Middle Ages and a large part of the Early Modern Period are still classified as being of archaeological interest in the legislative environment in Hungary, whereas the end of the Early Modern Period and the Late Modern Period are not. This boundary, which is linked to a specific historical date, is quite different from the legal framework in many European countries, where the time limit for studying, processing and, above all, the protection of archaeological heritage is defined flexibly, always preceding the current date by a hundred years. The archaeology of the Modern Period or even contemporary archaeology has become recognised as a discipline in many countries, and many other fields and heritage management conceptions do not limit archaeology and the exploration of the past to particular historical periods. This article attempts to summarise all the research directions in Hungary where the traditional chronological boundary is no longer taken into consideration in daily practice or even the legislative framework of the particular field. Due to limited space, this summary cannot be comprehensive; nonetheless, it makes a point that, based on the current state of research, +it is problematic to stick to the current chronological framework in legislation.