What should you do if you find an ancient relic or artifact?

I know there are laws that govern the discovery of artifacts…the law of finders keepers is the one I follow.

What I would do, personally, is thoroughly document the find – where, when, what, how, and take lots of pictures. If it was in a secure place I’d leave it, otherwise, I’d attempt to take it without causing damage.

Then I’d attempt to contact an expert in the field for further advice.

You’d be surprised at how many important discoveries have been made by complete accident, and how many discoveries have been foiled by bad documentation and loss of context.

Make a “Will it blend?” Youtube video.

In some cases, as in native American artifacts, they should be left where they are so others can find enjoyment of seeing them in that location. That, of course, assume the other person will leave it where found, too.
Some years ago I was doing some yard work and found what appeared to me to be a primitive tool made of stone. It was obviously brought in with other fill materials (dirt, rock) when my subdivision was leveled for houses. What made me notice it was the odd breakage along one edge that was evidently man made. I kept it for several years, then took it to the geological museum of Idaho, where a native American geologist identified it as, indeed, a stone tool used to polish hides. I left it with her so it could be seen by others.

Call the nursing home & suggest they watch the residents more closely?

There are several answers to this question, which mostly depend upon where you found the item and what you found (and how much you know about the find to begin with).

For example, a torture device that you discover at a flea market isn’t necessarily a “discovery”, since you’re there to buy something that someone else has already discovered. That is, if it’s real to begin with. Fake antiques have been with us since the days of the Roman Empire. So a lot of that would depend upon “the object” and how much you know about the thing (and the times and means of its production) in the first place.

But for another example, unless you’re digging in an area of known finds, such as the American Southwest, for example, where ancient finds are fairly well preserved because of the dry conditions generally prevailing there, and the known civilizations that have lived there, you may not even know what you’ve found. There are countless examples of people who have discovered Roman, Greek or other like-aged coins, but had no idea of what they were because most of the markings were gone and they didn’t look very coin-like. Same with fragments of weapons. Most often iron-based weapons have rusted, leather and wood has decayed away to nothing, and you may have “an object” that seems like nothing more than trash to you.

The place of discovery is part of the find, as @Seek has noted. But some places are more amenable to having things found: dry caves, stable rock formations protected from weather, dry sand, etc. The Black Sea is famous for giving up great archaeological finds because its depths are anoxic: no oxygen there to facilitate rust and decay. But you’re not going to be at the depths of the Black Sea by accident, are you?

@CWOTUS Right. I read that in London they were digging up to make a subway tunnel but the project was stopped for like tree years when tons of artifacts were found there. So if you went there and took an old coin or whatever it would be considered theft, as the site was closed off for researchers to dig up as much stuff as they could.

I’d do as @Seek mentioned then contact the Smithsonian and then, sell it for a hefty price tag to a museum or a private collector. haha
This find happened in my town, not far from me in 2014. These hills still have lots of buried treasure from the gold rush era and undiscovered giant gold nuggets.

www.time.com/9857/california-couple-finds-10-million-in-gold-coins/

@Coloma There is much truth in what you say. Check this out:
A few years ago, in northern Idaho, a few women were taking a leisurely walk down a gravel road. One of the women noticed a rock in the gravel on the side of the road and picked it up. It appeared to be a just a large chunk of broken glass. She showed it to her friends and opined about how wonderful it would be if it were to have some value.
Oh, the mockery that ensued! “What an imagination you have!” and words to that effect were bandied about.
Pissed the finder off, they did!
So she kept the chunk, displaying it on her fireplace mantle for several years. Then one day she decided to take it to a gemologist to see what it really was.
It turned out to be the largest natural diamond ever found in the state of Idaho and was given a value of $250,000.
So who do you think had the last laugh amongst her friends???

@kritiper Wow, that’s great! yes, haha, who’s laughing now? :-)

Call your attorney.

Yea….like you can trust attorneys….ain’t gonna happen!

Over-generalization is ignorance in motion.