‘Black Archaeology’ in Eastern Europe: Metal Detecting, Illicit Trafficking of Cultural Objects, and ‘Legal Nihilism’ in Belarus, Poland, Russia, and Ukraine

Abstract

Across Eastern Europe, professional archaeologists and metal detectorists testify that some archaeological sites have been emptied of metal objects, despite significant efforts to combat illicit trafficking of cultural objects. Yet there is little empirical evidence in relation to the scale of the problem within countries or its comparative scale between countries in the region. This paper presents open-source analysis of membership of online forums and social networks, as well as other empirical indicators, such as sales and ownership of metal detectors. It identifies and contradicts speculation and propaganda from archaeologists and detectorists, then offers empirical evidence in their place. It suggests the activity of at least 14,910 illicit detectorists in Belarus (around 1 in 638 residents), 54,066 illicit detectorists in Poland (around 1 in 702 residents), 26,377 illicit detectorists in Ukraine (around 1 in 1706 residents) and 75,158 illicit detectorists in Russia (around 1 in 1921 residents). It suggests that, in many of the worst-affected communities, above and beyond the technicalities of permissive, restrictive, or prohibitive regulation, the most important factors in the preservation of archaeological knowledge may be the economy and the rule of law.