When someone is discovers an important item from the past who should it belong to ? Why ?
Answers
Who owns archaeological artifacts?
The question of "who owns archaeological artifacts" isn't one that's easily answered. Each country and each region within each country has its own laws regarding the right to cultural property. Most of these laws have a set year established that draws the line between which objects belong to the state or country, and which are essentially "finders keepers." For instance, in New Zealand, all items found after April 1, 1976 are property of the Crown. The Antiquities Act of 1975 states that anything found must be reported to the Ministry of Culture and Heritage within 28 days. Then the ministry decides what to do with it. If the item was found before 1976, then it belongs to whoever found it.
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