Issues • 3 November 2002

One problem is still not being properly catered for; what then, of the treasures that are neglected, or which go undiscovered? Even worse, what of the treasures which are discovered by an individual who then keeps them under wraps?

The root of the problem, of course is the fact that these tiny islands are packed with historical artefacts for a reason: space has always been limited, so as the years went by the succeeding generations could not scatter as widely as they might have done on the continent. Anyone seized by the wanderlust would have built himself a boat of some kind and left. The rest built near, and in some cases on top of, each other and these precious clues to their way of life are there for us to discover.

The islands have grown no larger since then, and now space is at more of a premium than ever. Thus the best financial investment in these islands is land. One can easily imagine the delight of possessing a tract of land, and watching the value of that land sky rocket in value over the years. And one can also sympathise with the mixed feelings that assault one when one's stone mason informs one quietly that his men have broken into what looks like a tomb while they were digging the basement.

Even the best of us would hesitate to call the Museums Department. This might be important, and digs take a very long time. Meanwhile there is a time limit on the bank loan - the house must be up within three years. The house may be needed to live in, or perhaps one had planned to sell it to pay for the daughter's wedding or the wife's medical expenses, or to finance a luxurious retirement after years of hard work.

Given all this, the chances are that work will go on and eventually the tops of the kitchen cupboards will be decorated by an interesting assortment of amphorae that look very pretty and rustic, and which were bought from a trip to Tunisia, or so one's after-dinner story would have others believe.

In the past, when such things were not the issue they are today, such finds were fairly common, and people freely discussed them. Today we are afraid of the consequences, so such finds are kept secret.

The obvious solution is for the government and the Museums Department to draw up a set of procedures which are to be made common knowledge. The lifting of the artefacts from the site must take, for example, no more than a week. Some form of compensation must be given to the owner of the land and to the actual finder. To assume that no money should change hands simply because the artefacts are national heritage makes no sense. By that argument we need not pay for fish because those come from waters that belong to us all. Besides money may make all the difference. Psychologically, finding something unexpectedly is a little like winning the lottery. It would take an extraordinary act of selflessness to phone a Government department and have them come and cart it all away.

Of course, if some form of compensation does exist (and it is hoped that the sum set aside is not laughable) and if these procedures are already in place, then they have to be widely advertised. No one is going to come knocking on the door of the department to ask. There's too much risk of being asked why one wants to know.

Purists may argue that to simply lift the artefacts without making a thorough examination of the site is archaeological heresy. There is some truth in that, but wouldn't it be better to get something than have the entire find disappear without trace?

Until people become more educated and culturally proud, and this can only happen gradually through various campaigns, there doesn’t seem to be any other choice.