Where to dig? (The eternal question)

While the yard is full of snow and it is still winter, I will suggest you to find new places to dig.

Constantly I hear this question from my fellow diggers, so I think it necessary to tell you my views on this matter.

Where to begin?

Let’s look at everything in order. To understand where to go detecting, you need to have the necessary knowledge of local history and imagination to paint the past in broad strokes directly on the ground. It’s like building a real-time machine in your head.

First you will have to look around. It will be much easier if you live in the village, where your grandparents lived. Many know the old village, from where their ancestors came. This information is also useful. You can take the detector and walk around the villages or right into them, if people do not live there anymore.

If you live in a big city, it will be a little harder. In the residential districts except for landfills you will find very little, and gather quite a few curious audiences.

What is important to know?

You can stroll around the neighborhood. You can even sit in the car and go in search of ancient villages, but this is not enough! What do you need? The answer is obvious – you need maps!

The more maps you have – the better. Without the ability to read maps you will lack the most essential skills in our business!

I advise you to start with maps from the late 19th – early 20th century. Take a certain area on the map and compare it with the current shooting from the satellite. In this case, you can even use all known Google Maps application.

The more maps from different periods you find, the better.

What to look for on the map?

Reflecting on where to go to dig, I came to the logical conclusion. Where there were more people there to dig. The problem lies in the absence of clear maps, they simply did not exist 300-400 years ago.
In today’s world, people gather in large cities, where the whole life boils. One hundred years ago, the picture was not the same. We need to reject the city, the modern highway to return to the places of the origins of a century ago.

In those days, life was in full swing in major villages and towns, large estates. We need to find these places on a map and compare with the current state.

How does it look in practice?

In order to find a new place where you can go detecting I take a map and find a village. Do not expect too much when choosing large old village near the big cities – the field around may already be detected before you, but it is impossible to know for sure.

To find out how old the village is, I begin to compare multiple maps from the 18-th and 19-th century. It is also important to pay attention to the presence of churches, as well as the location of major traffic paths. It is also a matter of taste – digging in the woods or in the field, you choose.

Everything is learned with experience

You will not get a lot of interesting finds at once by only using the map. On the map, you just designate an area for a more detailed investigation. You go to the place to see everything with your own eyes.
Personally, I like to dig in the fields near an old village. Usually it happens that the field is full, but the finds only appear I one spot. And it is not always as easy to find these spots.
The golden rule – the more you dig, the more you find!

Good luck in finding new places!