Metal Detectors and Archaeology

Metal detectors generally used to find buried relics are used by achaeologists and hobbyists. Hobbyists rarely inform the government of new objects they have found - which usually end up in the Black Market never to be seen again.

Certain countries such as Sweden and France forbid the general public from metal detecting unless a special permit is issued. This has not stopped illegal hunters to find buried trasures during the night ("nighthawking") - which makes finding hidden relics worse - since none of the found treasures are ever returned and are instead sold to collectors.

Most countries have no laws against treasure hunting. The downside of not enforcing such rules is that those countries are often raided by treasure hunters and the buried treasures sold. Treasure hunting in the United States is legal in most states, though some have many regulations. Invariantly, most known Civil War Battlefields cannot be treasure hunted unless a permit is given to the interested party.

Metal detecting has helped archaeologists tremendously. Those who are legit send the treasures they have found to museums for they to be recognized by the general public - unless they have greater historical importance in which case they are sent to scientists to perform further research on them.

Recent discovered treasures include the Mildenhall treasure of Roman silver, the Winchester gold, and the Amesbury Archer. Additionally, new golden helmets, lost Greek artifacts and medieval swords are found very frequently - though unluckily not all of them are reported and some become just another object in a collection.