Published
Video length: 26 min
Correspondent. The new treasure hunters
Correspondent. The new treasure hunters
(SPECIAL SENDING / FRANCE 2)
Armed with their astonishing frying pans, headphones on, the detectorists hunt for treasures buried in the ground. Nice collectors or looters of antiquities, who are they really? “Special Envoy” went to meet these enthusiasts who spark controversy.
They roam the fields and beaches with their amazing frying pans, headphones on. Detectorists hunt for treasures buried in the ground. There are 100,000 of them in France. But in recent years, war has been declared: on the one hand, the defenders of heritage who accuse them of being looters and denounce trafficking in antiquities; on the other hand, the detectorists who claim, on the contrary, to save objects from oblivion.
Leisure or crime?
These prospectors are now in the crosshairs of the justice system and more and more of them are the subject of legal proceedings. Why are they considered outlaws today? Nice collectors or looters of antiquities, who are they really? “Special Envoy” went to meet these enthusiasts who spark controversy.
A report by Kristian Autain, Guillaume Marque, Benjamin Poulain and Bruno Maruani rebroadcast in “Special Envoy” on April 25, 2024.
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