Commentary on the Tomaszów Lubelski District Court’s sentence dated 2nd February 2016 (Ref. No. II K 662/14) Cover Image

Glosa do orzeczenia Sądu Rejonowego w Tomaszowie Lubelskim z dnia 2 lutego 2016 roku (sygn. akt II K 662/14, niepubl.)
Commentary on the Tomaszów Lubelski District Court’s sentence dated 2nd February 2016 (Ref. No. II K 662/14)

Author(s): Agnieszka Olech
Subject(s): Archaeology, Cultural history, Criminal Law, Evaluation research, Court case
Published by: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego
Keywords: Archaeology; artefacts; metal detecting; archaeological site; metal detector; damage of archaeological site;

Summary/Abstract: This commentary presents an analysis of the court’s holding concerning the highly popular phenomenon of metal detecting, in the context of historical/cultural artifacts. According to the applicable law, searching for historical artifacts can only take place after obtaining the consent of the voivodeship monuments’ conservator; however, this duty is not respected in the majority of cases. Moreover, such searches often lead to the destruction of archaeological sites and illegal excavation of movable artefacts. The District Court in Tomaszów Mazowiecki pointed out that searching for historical/cultural artifacts using a metal detector shows all the features of a criminal offense regulated in Art. 108, the Act on the Protection of Monuments and the Guardianship of Monuments. This offense is typified as damaging or destroying a monument.

  • Issue Year: 4/2018
  • Issue No: 1
  • Page Range: 97-106
  • Page Count: 10
  • Language: Polish
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