Illegal metal detecting at Antonine Wall Roman fort

[guy]

Illegal dig holes have been found at Bart Hill Fort on the Antonine Wall.

 

 

 

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd1w3exkvzmo

 

Bart Hill Fort is one of sixteen forts found along the Antonine Wall, which was built around 142 AD. Unlike other forts on the Wall, Bart Hill Fort is located several miles south of the Wall. It had the highest location of any the forts, giving it an excellent view of the surrounding valley.
 
It likely housed around 500 soldiers. Archaeological finds have included a latrine, bathhouse, barracks, and a commander’s house.

 

Here’s a great video on the fort and surrounding area:

 

 

Edited February 14, 2022 by guy

[caesar novus]

Not to justify this case, but I thought the youtube channel toldinstone made an interesting case for almost legalized looting of Roman coins such as in Croatia. I can't find which video it is at the moment, but it is a channel of considerable gravitas yet he buys bags of coins that have been metal detected for cleaning and resale.

He says it is typically a case of rescue out of farmer fields where the tractors have ripped them out of context long ago and they are being continually damaged more from cultivation. However those on the hunt do target fields in areas with geographic clues of likely Roman settlement. Possibly Croatia recently tightened rules, but I guess the whole Balkan area has reputation for tons of legal and illegal coins.

Anyway he articulates both sides of this somewhere in https://www.youtube.com/c/toldinstone/videos . I guess the UK has tried to balance strict rules with rewards for the finders. However I often hear claims of regulatory overreach for marine salvage by finders who sank a fortune into recovery in deep international waters who faced unrewarded confiscation.

Edited February 14, 2022 by caesar novus