Archaeological Finds in SW France

Finders Keepers?

We know this is a rich archaeological area with many historical sites dating back to Roman times and much, much earlier but, if you are lucky enough to find an artefact, who should be informed and who does it belong to?

Rosie Burton

That was the question we put to Rosey Burton and Frank Martin, two archaeologists who are renovating a collection of farm ruins in north Dordogne.

Flints found in the mud Motar

Rosey tells us “We kept finding Neolithic and Middle Palaeolithic stone tools when digging in the garden. Then I found a Neolithic flint blade in the remains of a collapsed wall and realised that all the local stone buildings have plain mud as mortar - the French call it mortier d’hirondelle".

WHO DO YOU ADVISE?

It’s very easy to obtain a GPS reading, or retrospectively look up the spot where you make your discovery on Google Earth, so no find should go unprovenanced. Then you can arrange to have it recorded.

IS IT A KNOWN SITE?

The Carte Archéologique de la Gaule (CAG) is a great starting point for investigating local archaeology beyond the tourist brochures.

Museum of Archaeology at Caussade, Aude

PROVENANCE IS KEY

Although DRAC works closely with local Mairies about the archaeological sites within their communes, information is not always available in practice.

WHO DOES THE FIND BELONG TO?

The landowner is generally considered the owner of any finds and you should always obtain permission before ‘prospecting’ on someone else’s land.

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