Archaeology
The Regional Service of Archaeology (SRA) is responsible for enforcing the legislation on archaeology, inscribed in book 5 of the Heritage Code.
Missions
STUDY
The Regional Archaeological Service is responsible for authorizing all studies and excavations in the region. It shall exercise scientific and technical control over them. It collects all the data collected and places it in a database accessible to all but under conditions. He is assisted by an interregional commission, placed with the regional prefect to confirm or reverse his choices.
PROTECT
The Regional Archaeology Service is involved in all urban planning documents to report known sites. By prefectural decree, he placed archaeological sensitivity perimeters (ZPPA) in these same documents to alert the developers.
KEEP
The regional archaeology service, in consultation with the museums of the region, keeps all the archives and furniture from the excavations, which it makes available to researchers and volunteers interested in local research.
PROMOTE
The regional archaeology service participates in events (ready for exhibition, commissariat, etc.). Each year it publishes monographs on recent excavations. They are accessible by clicking HERE. Finally, it publishes annual or multi-year balance sheet documents.
What are the chronological boundaries of archaeology?
Archaeology begins with the appearance of man in the region (about 1,000,000 years) and ends yesterday. The first or second world war, industrial archaeology, are examples of research conducted on very recent periods jointly by archaeologists and historians.
But what is archaeology?
It is a human science that consists in the study of the societies of the past, mainly but not exclusively, through the prism of objects and real estate produced. For several decades, archaeology has also been interested in the natural environment (fauna, flora, organization of terroirs, climates, etc.) in which humans evolve and the changes caused by their presence.
Do I own what I find?
No. What you find is property of the person who owns the discovery land, or state property.
I would like to learn about archaeology, what to do?
There are associations that can help you. SFA has an address; it can send you an association close to you. In addition, the SFA has a list of all archaeological operations open to volunteers. Simply request one.
What if I bought a metal detector to help archaeologists make discoveries?
Bad reflex. What interests archaeologists is not the object but the context in which it is found. Out of context, the object loses much of its scientific value. Moreover, some, in these times of crisis, take advantage of it to make an illegal trafficking of valuables, in networks sometimes international; by having you arrested by the gendarmerie, you risk being assimilated to these traffickers whom the justice condemns severely.
Yeah, but me it’s just leisure detection!
Leisure detection does not exist. Removing metal objects from the ground, is like pulling pages randomly from a book. Difficult after understanding the novel…
There’s a fantastic site next door to me. Why don’t the archaeologists come and search it?
Digging is an act of research. The site must therefore correspond to a scientific problem established by a team. Moreover, the primary mission of the State services is to preserve and transmit the sites to future generations. Excavation methods and related sciences are evolving rapidly, and sites will be better excavated in the future. In addition, preventive archaeology, the one that is backed by development (the surface of a French department disappears every 10 years in development) produces a lot of information that archaeologists do not exploit until the end, for lack of time.
Can I find out what’s known next door?
The SRA does the regional archaeological map. It’s an incomplete document that records all the discoveries made over the centuries. It can be consulted under certain conditions (see Wealth codeThe archaeological map is a document that reflects the history of regional research and is not a comprehensive document. Although currently containing about 55,000 sites in Burgundy-Franche-Comté, we know that this figure can be multiplied by 10 to approach a certain reality.
How is the archaeological map updated?
All ground operations contribute to the archaeological map. Ground surveys, archives, aerial surveys, etc. all this contributes to a better knowledge. New methods are emerging. This is the case with LiDAR, a method linked to an airborne laser beam that sweeps the soil over hundreds or even thousands of hectares and reveals micro-reliefs, including in wooded areas covered by deciduous trees. The earth, like our skin, retains the scar of the hollows, cavities, walls, buildings it has worn. Thus are revealed sites but also ancestral systems of organization of the terroirs.
Why am I not allowed to see everything on the archaeological map?
You can consult a municipality or a particular area but the more precise information, attached to plots are limited in consultation, on the one hand to protect the owners and avoid looting of treasure seekers, on the other hand, not to detract from the real estate value of plots containing remains. Indeed, since the cost of preventive excavations is borne by the developers, the proven presence of remains can intervene in the sale price of the land.
How do I keep abreast of what is happening in my region?
Welcome to this site. The DRAC maintains the main regional events (seminars, seminars, etc.). You will also find links with our main partners (INRAP, BIBRACTE, museums, associations...), which will complete your thirst for knowledge.
