THE PROBLEMS OF ìBLACK ARCHAEOLOGYîIN ESTONIA 关于黑色考古学的几个问题 在爱沙尼亚.pdf

Estonian Journal of Archaeology, 2010, 14, 2, 153ñ169 doi: 10.3176/arch.2010.2.04 Ingrid Ulst THE PROBLEMS OF ìBLACK ARCHAEOLOGYî IN ESTONIA In recent years, several illegal excavations have taken place on the archaeological sites in Estonia. Yet, only a few cases have resulted in legal solutions and these have not unfortunately been positive from the perspective of the protection of archaeological heritage. This article addresses the issues related to the protection of archaeological finds and ìblack archaeologyî in Estonia, aiming at evaluating, on the basis of three case studies of illegal excavations, the major problems of the protection of archaeological heritage with regard to legal regulation, ethical conflicts and economic interests. Although Estonian laws comply with international principles, applicable administrative capacity is the major concern. Next to regulating the use of metal detectors in Estonia, the measures influencing the market, the raising of public awareness and the enhancement of control mechanisms instead of more severe sanctioning could be considered as additional options. Ingrid Ulst, University of Tartu, 3 Lossi St., 51003 Tartu, Estonia; ingrid26@ Introduction In recent years Estonian archaeological sites have faced several cases of looting. Unfortunately only a very limited number of these cases have ended up in legal proceedings and yet, the solutions of these cases have not been helpful from the perspective of the protection of archaeological sites. For example, the illegal excavation of medieval coins in the surroundings of Keil