Or worse yet, left in the ground to rust, rot and decay. I think it is criminal that private citizens cannot recover artifacts from battlefields and other historic sites. The agencies that oversee them do not and have never have the resources to recover even a fraction of artifacts, so the vast majority are lost forever. Simply allowing folks to buy a permit, recover, and turn over any items considered to be of great historical value (perhaps with some compensation) would serve everyone’s interest best.
“Or worse yet, left in the ground to rust, rot and decay. I think it is criminal that private citizens cannot recover artifacts from battlefields and other historic sites. The agencies that oversee them do not and have never have the resources to recover even a fraction of artifacts, so the vast majority are lost forever. Simply allowing folks to buy a permit, recover, and turn over any items considered to be of great historical value (perhaps with some compensation) would serve everyone’s interest best.”
I agree wholeheartedly with your statements. Sadly, I suspect your ideas are far too commonsensical and far too efficient to ever be considered by the bureaucrats in academia or government.