People other than archaeologists find artefacts every day. These can be chance finds made while browsing junk shops, digging the garden or clearing out the attic, or the results of deliberate searches – for example, by a metal detecting enthusiast.

An 'artefact' is an item that has been made by someone in the past. It is a piece of evidence for past human activity. Of course, this encompasses a huge range of items – from prehistoric stone tools to Victorian gas lights – but all artefacts are important in their own context. Each one is a clue that helps us to put together a picture of our past.

Don't clean
If you find an artefact, usually the first instinct is to clean it – don’t! Many modern household cleaners contain powerful abrasives that can easily damage old objects.

There are also lots of stories about concoctions of spices, ketchup and even toothpaste that are supposed to bring artefacts ‘back to life’. These tales are misleading, for these substances are sometimes dangerous and often damaging to anything they are applied to. For example, over-zealous cleaning can result in the loss of any remaining materials inside an old ceramic pot or any delicate applied decoration on an ancient brooch.

Museum identification
How do you find out about your artefact? By far the best resource is your local museum. Museums have access to a wide range of specialists. They also can identify a huge number of items from our past and will have a detailed knowledge of artefacts that may only be known in your area. When you take your artefact to the local museum, ask to see the curator or curatorial assistant. They will be able to tell you what it’s made of, if it’s rare and how it was used, give you an estimated date for when it was made and advise you about looking after it.

If you find something and keep it on your mantelpiece without showing it to a museum, nobody else will be able to share the knowledge of the find, and a piece of cultural heritage will be lost. You never know, your artefact could be very important.

Your local museum may want to take details of your artefact for the archaeological record. Many people worry that, if they show a find to a museum, it will be taken away from them. This is not true. Museums want to record information about finds so that everyone can find out about their past. Only if your find is classed as 'treasure' under the Treasure Act will a museum have the right to acquire it. The definition of treasure is fully outlined in the Treasure Act Code of Practice.

Remember: a trip with a find to your museum can benefit archaeology as a whole and also can be a great help to you.

The Portable Antiquities Scheme
The Portable Antiquities Scheme was set up in 1997 as a complement to the Treasure Act, which was introduced at the same time. The scheme currently covers about half of England and Wales. Its primary aim is to encourage amateur finders of archaeological objects, particularly metal detectorists, to record their finds with archaeologists. Finds are reported on a voluntary basis, unless they are treasure (mainly gold or silver objects more than 300 years old) – such finds have to be reported by law.

The Time Team Live 2001 site was discovered by a metal detectorist who reported his finds to Sally Worrell, the finds liaison officer for Hampshire, which is one of the areas covered by the scheme. So far over 60,000 objects have been recorded, ranging from prehistoric flints to medieval buckles, and information about a number of these can be found on the Portable Antiquities Scheme's website. The website also provides information about the scheme, details of all the finds liaison officers who record finds in their local area, and important information about the Treasure Act.