GREECE : Metal detecting laws?

[morbiusandneo]

I have a friend whose family was born in Greece, but he was born in USA. He is 51, but when he was 13 and visiting with his grandfather he told my friend there was "a pot of gold coins from Alexander the Great times buried on that mountain".This was on the island of Rhodes. My friend recalls his grandfather being very mad because he said the government does not allow them to search for it. Have the laws changed there? Anybody know what the current laws are for treasure-hunting in Greece?

 

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[austin]

Best to call the Greek consulate in Washington or New York and ask. They will help you...

 

[MountOlymp]

Strictly forbidden

 

[Mackaydon]

https://detectingschool.com/metal-detecting-in-greece/
Don.....

 

[Cuda74]

I lived in Greece for a year in 2000, strictly forbidden then. But I do know that some of the farmers would get someone local with a detector to come in and just pinpoint each possible target with a flag and then tell the detectorist to go home and then they would dig everything up that night. Greece was amazing in that every time they started to excavate for a new road, the subway tunnels, etc, they found something. So work had to stop for the authorities to allow the Archeologists to go through everything they could before work could continue. Some of the Greek military guys that I worked with were finding Alexander coins in the family olive groves.
I visited a lot of sites that were off the beaten path and not guarded and pottery shards and other things were laying around all over. Never took anything but very cool to see.
Wanted to detect while I was scuba diving, but same rules applied.
When an expat goes into Greece to live, all electronic equipment you bring in, i.e. computers, tvs, radios, detectors, etc are noted in your passport by customs and you HAVE to take those things out with you when you leave, so they know what you bring in.

 

[Legendary_Hunter]

I have a friend whose family was born in Greece, but he was born in USA. He is 51, but when he was 13 and visiting with his grandfather he told my friend there was "a pot of gold coins from Alexander the Great times buried on that mountain".This was on the island of Rhodes. My friend recalls his grandfather being very mad because he said the government does not allow them to search for it. Have the laws changed there? Anybody know what the current laws are for treasure-hunting in Greece?

The laws are very strict.If you find anything before the year 1830 you have to give it to the authorities otherwise you face serious consequences.I order to find it ,in the first place you have to have a permit to use the detector.