Who owns an archaeological find? Exhibition on the protection of archaeological heritage at the National Museum of Lithuania

ENThe new exhibition on the protection of archaeological heritage “Heritage: for me, for society, for the State?” opened in the Old Arsenal of the National Museum of Lithuania on June 16, 2023. The curators of the exhibition, Sigita Mikšaitė, Dr Povilas Blaževičius and the architect Gabrielė Černiavskaja, are pleased to be able to present a topic that has not yet been discussed in Lithuanian museums, even though it has become more and more relevant in the spheres of archaeology and heritage protection over the last decade. The exhibition aims to address the public concerning the illicit import and export of cultural goods, the illegal raiding of archaeological sites and the underground market for looted relicts. State ownership of undiscovered cultural heritage is established by the Constitution: The Republic of Lithuania exclusively owns the depths of the earth, as well as historical, archaeological and cultural objects found there. While the State is able to acquire movable cultural heritage objects which are to be exported according to the rules approved by the Government, and it is forbidden to sell cultural properties from the collections of national, state and municipality museums at any auction or to offer them to antique shops, potential movable cultural heritage assets can only be entered into the Register of Cultural Heritage and acquired by the State with the permission of the owner. The legal framework to submit accidental archeological finds within 7 days is often not just aimed at discoveries by farmers, landowners or metal detector enthusiasts, but also exploited by the would-be sellers, sometimes after falling under suspicion.Currently it is deemed more important for the excavated objects to reach museums, even without exact information on where they have been excavated, so a legal loophole for the “finders” to submit their discoveries and thus avoid legal persecution still exists. It is regrettable that Lithuania is frequently an intermediate stop between Scandinavia, Eastern and Western Europe for the illegal shipment of cultural goods, including several archaeological finds. However, a certain surprising change is also underway: Lithuania itself is increasingly becoming the final stop for the illegal trade in valuables. When it comes to collecting, people sometimes do not even think about what can and cannot be given away or received legally. Therefore, it is necessary to appeal firstly to the consciousness of the general public: if the treasure gain is deemed exclusively “yours”, when whose loss is it when artifacts disappear into the black market? Who is affected by the damage to the perception of the history and identity of an entire nation?.