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With support from the Ministry of Culture, we are investigating the problems that have arisen from the widespread use of search devices (especially metal detectors) in Estonia in the project ‘Lost and Found Past: Archaeological Information on the Landscape, in Datasets, and in Use’ (2024–2026). The number of licensed hobby metal-detectorists has increased every year, leading to a wealth of new archaeological discoveries and potential new sites. At the same time, determining the nature of detectorists’ finds is time-consuming, which has placed a heavy burden on the Estonian National Heritage Board responsible for the field and has sometimes extended the relevant processes to several years.
Field studies on detectorists’ find locations and the involvement of the hobbyist community in various events have received limited attention. This project aims to address these concerns and find ways to better integrate hobbyists’ contributions into the research and preservation of archaeological heritage.
Fieldwork on sites discovered by hobbyists
Thousands of finds and hundreds of new sites have been discovered since 2011, when the Estonian Heritage Conservation Act clearly defined the rights and obligations of hobby searchers. Many of these new finds can only be revealed by metal detectors – areas where mainly small pieces of molten copper alloy artefacts are found.
Such finds are usually impossible to detect with the naked eye and landowners rarely notice them either. This project will investigate sites on arable land where finds of metal-detectorists suggest the presence of an archaeological site – a burial site being the most likely case. Could these be the remains of stone graves that have been cleared away during farming? Or could they represent type of burial site or burial practice? What’s the best way to document and study them?
Our fieldwork will focus on testing different research methods, such as fieldwalking (image 1), metal detecting (image 2), trial pits (image 3), and trenches (image 4). The soil is sieved and examined with a metal detector . Our goal is to develop the best research methods for similar sites. Landowners and tenants do not need to worry if archaeologists confirm the presence of an archaeological site on arable land, as this generally does not cause any restrictions on existing land use and farming can continue as usual. Our first fieldwork was carried out in the spring of 2024 in Selli, Jõgeva County, and Seliküla, Järva County; in September, in Tarva, Pärnu County.
Informational value of detector finds and testing the potential of machine learning
Hobby searchers have found many rare items and new types of artefacts, enriching our knowledge of the past. Beyond the exciting discoveries, these finds are an important source of information for research and for the management and protection of archaeological heritage. In this project, we will explore the nature and use of information shared by metal-detectorists and how it can be applied to the study of the past and heritage conservation.
For example, we are testing new digital solutions that could speed up the process of handling finds at the Estonian National Heritage Board in the future. Machine learning methods teach computers to solve problems and make predictions based on data. In the course of this project, we aim to train a computer to classify photos of medieval and modern coins from Estonia. These experiments will lay the foundation for artificial intelligence to recognise other coins and finds in the future.
Involving the hobbyist community
At the end of the first year, we are planning a virtual exhibition that will give an overview of the different scenarios that can happen to archaeological finds once they are discovered. We will show images from the conservator’s and researcher’s workspaces as well as from storage and exhibitions.
Some finds are returned to the finders – we will explore what happened to those items. We will also highlight the more unfortunate cases and their impact on archaeological heritage. In the second and third years, we will run workshops and seminar days for hobby detectorists, where they can learn the craft skills needed to study archaeological finds and listen to presentations from their favourite speakers.
Summary
To improve archaeological research and heritage preservation, a quick and efficient method to define and document discovered sites is needed. By the end of the project, we hope our fieldwork will have bettered the understanding of the most common discovery sites for hobby detectorists: archaeological sites on arable land.
Machine-learning methods are necessary for processing the increasing amount of finds and it is important to test these methods using Estonian finds. Close cooperation between archaeologists and hobby detectorists and landowners will create better conditions for preserving archaeological heritage – heritage belongs to everyone and everyone has the right to experience it.
This article was originally published in the Yearbook of Estonian Archaeology. Written by TUULI KURISOO (Tallinna Ülikool), ULLA KADAKAS (Estonian History Museum) and VALTER LANG, MARIA SMIRNOVA, MARTTI VELDI (University of Tartu).
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