Skip to content Accesskeys Newsroom

Archaeology and treasure

The modern landscape of Northern Ireland contains evidence of over 9,000 years of human activity surviving as archaeological sites and monuments, archaeological objects and maritime remains around our coastline. These range from tombs, castles, churches and settlements to the more personal objects associated with people’s day to day lives in the past.

What to do if you find an archaeological object or treasure

Archaeological objects discovered by members of the public - for instance, during fieldwork or excavating building foundations - must be reported to NI Environment Agency (NIEA) Built Heritage Directorate, to the Ulster Museum, or to the police, within 14 days of discovery with details of where and how the object was found. Objects may be held by NIEA or the Ulster Museum for up to three months to permit proper examination and recording.

Occasionally, certain types of archaeological objects are uncovered in Northern Ireland which are classified as treasure - different procedures exist for these.

Such objects fall under special legislation called The Treasure Act 1996, which replaces the common law of treasure trove in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. A leaflet called 'The Treasure Act: Information for Finders of Treasure in Northern Ireland' provides further details.

Metal detectorists should be aware of the restrictions on searching for archaeological objects imposed by the Historic Monuments and Archaeological Objects (NI) Order 1995. Under this Order it is an offence to search for archaeological objects without an archaeological excavation licence issued by NIEA.

It is also an offence to be in possession of a detecting device on a protected site (Scheduled sites and monuments and State Care monuments) or to remove an archaeological object from a protected site without written consent from NIEA.

A leaflet called Metal Detecting, Archaeology and the Law gives advice on the main points of the law regarding metal detecting in Northern Ireland.