No abstract

RESUMEN Este artículo trata sobre el expolio producido por los aparatos de detección de metales en los yacimientos arqueológicos. En él se hace especial hincapié en las medidas jurídicas y administrativas adoptadas por la Junta de Andalucía para luchar contra esta plaga que amenaza con destruir una parte importante de nuestro patrimonio arqueológico.

No abstract

Abstract:The sudden emergence of metal-detector users and subsequent swelling of their numbers rocked the field of professional archaeology due to the impact that the use of metal detectors has on the conservation of archaeological heritage. The situation has led to confrontation, polarisation and mistrust on both sides. These problems are particularly severe in countries such as Spain, where the law does not allow the unauthorised use of these devices. However, merely enforcing the law is not enough to resolve such conflicts, just as encouraging 'treasure hunting' is no solution either. This paper uses sociological models to explain the lack of communication and distance between the two groups with a view to finding principles that can be used to establish rational grounds for communication. Here 'rational grounds' is understood to mean foundations that will enable the convergence of the different interests whilst at the same time respecting the social function of archaeological heritage. To this end, a model is suggested based on a new wave of scientific communication aimed at including detectorists in archaeological research projects. The Decline of Amateur Archaeology and the Rise of the DetectoristAs in most of its neighbouring countries, in Spain the first people to engage in archaeological activities were amateurs, meaning they collected and studied antiquities in their spare time and in addition to their main occupations. By the second half of the 19 th century, professional archaeologists had come to exist alongside amateurs and collectors, although the latter still outnumbered the former in the main institutions dedicated to the protection of antiquities.Until relatively recently, the gap left by the lack of a professional government department of culture other than museums was filled by honorary appointments of local amateurs and local-history experts, whose main role consisted in collecting random archaeological finds and performing small-scale digs. The programme Misión Rescate, broadcast between 1967 and 1980 on Spanish television (Televisión Española [TVE]) and radio (Radio Nacional de España [RNE]), was the final instalment in this institutionalisation of amateur archaeology. The programme encouraged schools to form teacher-led groups of pupils for the Original StudyOpen Access

The looting of archaeological heritageLast year, in addition to AP Journal Volume 2, JAS Arqueología also published a book in Spain about the looting of archaeological heritage: Indianas jones sin futuro (Indianas jones without future), by Ignacio Rodríguez Temiño. We then realised there was an urgent need to debate this issue more thoroughly at an international scale, to show how different things can be and try to find better strategies for the protection of archaeological heritage.While the forum was being designed, a special issue of Internet Archaeology on looting was published (Issue 33) and new projects started to emerge. This shows an increasing interest in these topics and opens the way for wider debates and perspectives.At first, we thought metal detecting was the main topic to be discussed. Then we started to realise it was just a small part of a wider problem: looting. This is how we decided to initiate a series of forums for the coming years, with a focus on different aspects of looting, and from different perspectives*.