VILNIUS — Citing the need to preserve the country’s historical remains, on Tuesday Lithuania’s parliament voted to ban the use of metal detectors when looking to dig up relics without having a permit for an archaeological dig.

Supporters of the measures said digging up old pieces of metal has become more lucrative since the crisis hit and many have lost their jobs. While some are digging up scrap metal for recycling, others are looking for [private_supervisor]more valuable items left behind by armies and empires of yesteryear. Lithuania has been the scene of many historic military campaigns and once the seat of a large empire during the last millenium, which has led to an abundance of undiscovered items buried underground — items wealthy collectors will pay big bucks for.

The Cultural Heritage Protection Act was amended to stop treasure hunters from increasing the speed of their excavation. Items of cultural value should be preserved for the state, especially in the case of valuable finds, the bill says.

Parliamentarians were prompted to make the new amendments to the law after Seimas member Aurelija Stancikienė presented a case where a silver Viking armor, helmets and swords were found and sold on the internet for thousands of euros each.

“Our museums saw the photos and were surprised that such findings were found in Lithuania. I would like to say that having to enter the compulsory licensing, we essentially enable archaeologists continue to excavate these specimens,” Stancikienė said.

According to the parliamentarian Dalia Kuodytė, the private use of metal detectors for the purposes of searching for archaeological treasures is unacceptable as it contributes to the deliberate destruction of archaeological heritage.

Kuodytė said the problem had become more acute in recent years as Lithuanians were able to find better tools for scanning the ground.

“This is not only metal detectors, there are metal detectors, magnetometers, georadars and land scanners. Every day there are new kinds of tools that aid this sort of work,” Kuodytė said.

Apart from pillaging the country’s archaeological treasure troves, the amateur diggers are unscrupulously destroying sites of significance to archaeologists by digging and making mounds of dirt. [/private_supervisor] [private_subscription 1 month]more valuable items left behind by armies and empires of yesteryear. Lithuania has been the scene of many historic military campaigns and once the seat of a large empire during the last millenium, which has led to an abundance of undiscovered items buried underground — items wealthy collectors will pay big bucks for.

The Cultural Heritage Protection Act was amended to stop treasure hunters from increasing the speed of their excavation. Items of cultural value should be preserved for the state, especially in the case of valuable finds, the bill says.

Parliamentarians were prompted to make the new amendments to the law after Seimas member Aurelija Stancikienė presented a case where a silver Viking armor, helmets and swords were found and sold on the internet for thousands of euros each.

“Our museums saw the photos and were surprised that such findings were found in Lithuania. I would like to say that having to enter the compulsory licensing, we essentially enable archaeologists continue to excavate these specimens,” Stancikienė said.

According to the parliamentarian Dalia Kuodytė, the private use of metal detectors for the purposes of searching for archaeological treasures is unacceptable as it contributes to the deliberate destruction of archaeological heritage.

Kuodytė said the problem had become more acute in recent years as Lithuanians were able to find better tools for scanning the ground.

“This is not only metal detectors, there are metal detectors, magnetometers, georadars and land scanners. Every day there are new kinds of tools that aid this sort of work,” Kuodytė said.

Apart from pillaging the country’s archaeological treasure troves, the amateur diggers are unscrupulously destroying sites of significance to archaeologists by digging and making mounds of dirt. [/private_subscription 1 month] [private_subscription 4 months]more valuable items left behind by armies and empires of yesteryear. Lithuania has been the scene of many historic military campaigns and once the seat of a large empire during the last millenium, which has led to an abundance of undiscovered items buried underground — items wealthy collectors will pay big bucks for.

The Cultural Heritage Protection Act was amended to stop treasure hunters from increasing the speed of their excavation. Items of cultural value should be preserved for the state, especially in the case of valuable finds, the bill says.

Parliamentarians were prompted to make the new amendments to the law after Seimas member Aurelija Stancikienė presented a case where a silver Viking armor, helmets and swords were found and sold on the internet for thousands of euros each.

“Our museums saw the photos and were surprised that such findings were found in Lithuania. I would like to say that having to enter the compulsory licensing, we essentially enable archaeologists continue to excavate these specimens,” Stancikienė said.

According to the parliamentarian Dalia Kuodytė, the private use of metal detectors for the purposes of searching for archaeological treasures is unacceptable as it contributes to the deliberate destruction of archaeological heritage.

Kuodytė said the problem had become more acute in recent years as Lithuanians were able to find better tools for scanning the ground.

“This is not only metal detectors, there are metal detectors, magnetometers, georadars and land scanners. Every day there are new kinds of tools that aid this sort of work,” Kuodytė said.

Apart from pillaging the country’s archaeological treasure troves, the amateur diggers are unscrupulously destroying sites of significance to archaeologists by digging and making mounds of dirt. [/private_subscription 4 months] [private_subscription 1 year]more valuable items left behind by armies and empires of yesteryear. Lithuania has been the scene of many historic military campaigns and once the seat of a large empire during the last millenium, which has led to an abundance of undiscovered items buried underground — items wealthy collectors will pay big bucks for.

The Cultural Heritage Protection Act was amended to stop treasure hunters from increasing the speed of their excavation. Items of cultural value should be preserved for the state, especially in the case of valuable finds, the bill says.

Parliamentarians were prompted to make the new amendments to the law after Seimas member Aurelija Stancikienė presented a case where a silver Viking armor, helmets and swords were found and sold on the internet for thousands of euros each.

“Our museums saw the photos and were surprised that such findings were found in Lithuania. I would like to say that having to enter the compulsory licensing, we essentially enable archaeologists continue to excavate these specimens,” Stancikienė said.

According to the parliamentarian Dalia Kuodytė, the private use of metal detectors for the purposes of searching for archaeological treasures is unacceptable as it contributes to the deliberate destruction of archaeological heritage.

Kuodytė said the problem had become more acute in recent years as Lithuanians were able to find better tools for scanning the ground.

“This is not only metal detectors, there are metal detectors, magnetometers, georadars and land scanners. Every day there are new kinds of tools that aid this sort of work,” Kuodytė said.

Apart from pillaging the country’s archaeological treasure troves, the amateur diggers are unscrupulously destroying sites of significance to archaeologists by digging and making mounds of dirt. [/private_subscription 1 year]

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