There's never been a better time to be a metal detectorist.
With Vikings and Viking history currently captivating people's imaginations, news of any discovery of an interesting find from 1,000 years ago might now make headlines around the world.
And there are ever more discoveries, partly because of climate change and greater swathes of exposed land revealing long-buried objects – the modus operandi of the world's most famous archeologists in this field, Secrets of the Ice – and partly because experts can now take advantage of technology such as ground-penetrating radar.
Only recently, specialists gathered at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, outside Los Angeles, to present the Nordic Spirit Symposium and debate this very matter.
Set against the backdrop of Southern Norway's Innlandet County, a hotspot for archaeological treasures, this year's metal detectorist meeting in Hamar on March 10 will celebrate the many finds of the past year. Photo: Geir Hval (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Secrets of Innlandet County
Meanwhile, over in Innlandet County in Southern Norway, where so many of these discoveries have been made, an annual meeting of metal detectorists will take place in Hamar on Sunday, March 10.
The event, being staged in the same region where Secrets of the Ice has its base HQ, will be aimed at both experienced detectorists and those interested in starting out.
There will be a review of investigations by detectorists around Innlandet County in 2023, and a panel will judge the best finds of antiquities and coins over the course of last year.
Marte Spangen from the Museum of Cultural History at the University of Oslo will give the academic lecture at this year's convention.
Marte is an associate professor of Nordic Iron Age archeology. She will place particular emphasis on metal detector finds from this period.
Those attending will also see a presentation concerning current detector search laws and regulations, and all will receive a certificate of participation once they've understood the protocol.
Last year, Jørgen Strande discovered Viking silver in Innlandet County, and promptly documented the find's location with GPS coordinates, securing the artifact for further examination. Photo: Jørgen Strande
Model detectorist
Understanding the protocol is vital to ensure that once experts arrive on the scene, the object and the area immediately around it remain undisturbed.
Looking at the most impressive Viking-era discoveries of 2023, staff at the Innlandet County office were quick to point out and praise particular detectorists who followed the rules and alerted them despite all the excitement of hitting upon potential treasure.
One classic recent example concerned Innlandet detectorist Jørgen Strande, born and raised near the find site of Bøverbru.
Though literally screaming with joy when he unearthed silver jewelry from the Viking era, Jørgen kept his head to record the GPS coordinates and contact his local archeology office.
Jørgen is also perhaps typical of a new generation of detectorists attracted to this time-consuming but rewarding pastime through a TV show – in his case, watching Time Team with his grandmother.
It also illustrates the fact that there is much greater general awareness of the Viking presence these days.
Someone with no specialist training in archeology or who only has a layman's knowledge of medieval Norse history may spot a chunk of hacksilver and think, "Viking!"
Twenty years ago, that may not have been the case.
The event is free to enter, and coffee and cake will be served. Organizers ask everyone considering attending to sign up at detektorfunn@innlandetfylke.no so they can judge numbers.
Annual meeting of Innlandet metal detectorists, Innlandet County Municipality, Parkgata 64, Hamar, Norway. Sunday, March 10, 1 pm-4 pm.
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