“I Bought a Metal Detector and Things Are Off and Rolling…”: Organization and Practices of Metal Detecting in Russia

Abstract

This article provides a comprehensive description of the activities and practices of individuals commonly referred to as “black archaeologists” (metal detectorists). This label encompasses a diverse group of people with varying goals, equipment, motivation, degree of economic involvement, and ethical attitudes. The empirical data for the study was gathered through 75 semi-structured interviews with key actors in the field in Russia, including black archaeologists, archaeologists, antique sellers, restorers and appraisers, museum workers, employees of metal collection points, and sellers of equipment. The study identifies and describes various types of instrument searches, investigates organizational and economic practices, establishes the interdependence of types of instrument search and the equipment used by black archaeologists, and examines their relationships with archaeologists,
law enforcement agencies, and museums.