The Detectorists Institute & Foundation (DIF)

We are a not-for-profit professional body and registered charity in the UK, recognised with a prestigious National Education Award.  Our Institute focuses on research and education, and is asset-locked with the Foundation, which is Britain’s only registered charity dedicated to supporting detectorists and stakeholders.

The DIF supports the interests of all stakeholders within the detecting sector. We welcome membership from detectorists, as well as professionals and enthusiasts from the heritage sector, including archaeologists, historians, and landowners. We also invite worldwide members and individuals who support our conservation-focused approach to join us.

For UK Members, central to our initiative is the DIF: Triple-lock Code.

The DIF has pioneered an integrated approach to fieldwalking and metal detecting as part of the SPIA Survey. The Systematic, Partial, and Intensive Artefact Survey employs a consistent skillset from Practitioner Detectorists who are educated in archaeological principles.

Join our DIF campaign to highlight the significance of topsoil finds as indicators of human activity and dating evidence.  Save our portable heritage, support the detecting of sites and trenches before mechanical excavation and infrastructure development.

Seen across the world by over 1.3 million Time Team viewers, one of Britain’s largest Roman villas discovered through the combination of landscape archaeology and detecting principles: Research, visual observation and the SPIA Survey Approach.

The DIF Detectorist’s broad scope of interest considers artifacts of all materials key to creating a contextual landscape. The ability to distinguish between Roman hypocaust and a Victorian brick is as fundamental as differentiating a shilling from a sestertius.

Become a member of the DIF as we work towards granting detectorist members post-nominal letters!

Detectorists in their dedication to unearthing tangible clues to the past, uncover evidence of historical significance, contributing to our understanding of local and national heritage.  Often, these finds can bring to light fascinating historical stories where previously, they have been hidden through time in archives and libraries.

Joining the DIF will help fund the work of detectorists, supported by archaeologists, with contributions gaining the benefit of Government Gift Aid.

Membership is open to detectorists, all stakeholders, organisations and individuals who would like to support our conservational approach.

The DIF in setting the highest of standards, works in collaboration with bodies including the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists (CIfA) and Association of Local Government Archaeological Officers (ALGAO).  Publications such as the CIfA Client Guide, promote the benefits of utilising detectorists to the heritage sector and anyone who needs to meet the requirements of legislation or policy that relate to archaeology.

Detectorist Members: Our goal is to enable all detectorist members to demonstrate their understanding of core principles by earning post-nominal letters that represent different levels of expertise. Initially, everyone will join as Associates, with the opportunity to advance to MDIF for Member, PDIF for Practitioner, and FDIF for Fellow, reflecting collective expertise and commitment to our core principles.

 

Join as Detectorist

DIF Methodology:

The metal detector, a sophisticated instrument, when utilised in combination with fieldwalking provides dating evidence. This integrated, non-intrusive method, along with geophysical surveys, is an important addition when evaluating archaeological sites.

The SPIA Survey, provides a systematic approach to: Desk research, planning preparation detailed in a Written Scheme of Investigation, onsite evaluation and setting out, detector and visual survey, retrieving targets and spatially recording finds in line with agreed discard policy, spoil management, small finds examination and collation, archive submission to Museum Collections, comprehensive geolocation reporting for final publishing and HER Event Number allocation.

Aims and Principles

Based on archaeological principles and values, the DIF promotes the benefits of embedding metal detecting and fieldwalking into professional practice, as part of a systematic and consistent approach.

In recognition of the expert level of experienced detectorists and combined with a national educational program based on archaeological practices, amateur Archaeo-Detectorists and professional Practitioner Detectorists have the opportunity with community and commercial projects, to become part of the archaeological team.

Aims and Principles

National Resource Hub

The DIF National Resource Hub is a library of interesting, informative and educational content to be regularly updated with any new developments published within the detecting heritage sector.  The Resource Hub available to DIF Members, contains reports, case studies, methodologies, guidance and training for the benefit of all stakeholders, including landowners.

Resources

Commercial and Community Archaeology

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Commercial and Community Archaeology

Over the decades, the metal detector has been underutilised as a tool in archaeology. The DIF has been working to develop the new role of ‘Practitioner Detectorist’ to bring a consistent approach to utilising detectorists on commercial archaeological projects. This involves developing and adopting new standards, methodologies, and guidance.

Time Team

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Time Team

With the DIF providing the detecting team, Keith Westcott has become the first detectorist to join Time Team. Detectorists play an important role in the program’s archaeological approach, with Keith, as Detecting Team Manager, developing the plan for the project’s Written Scheme of Investigation and leading the detecting team over the ‘three days’… Always on the lookout for interesting projects for Time Team, could your discovery be featured in the next episode?

Celebrating archaeological discoveries made by detectorists

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Celebrating archaeological discoveries made by detectorists

Working according to archaeological principles, detectorists interested in the contextual landscape can uncover important information that leads to the discovery of previously unknown ancient sites. The Foundation will assist detectorists and, in some cases, financially support the evaluation of new site discoveries within the historic environment.

Your membership will help to make a difference in heritage conservation.

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Your membership will help to make a difference in heritage conservation.

Funding national outreach, research, and community landscape projects at archaeological sites, your membership fee—which attracts Government Gift Aid—will support important work where archaeo-detectorists are proactively involved in heritage conservation. Join us on our travels through short documentaries, interviews, updates, and articles as we bring you the latest news from the DIF.

Unique across the world, the DIF Advisory Board

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Unique across the world, the DIF Advisory Board

“For the public good and all stakeholders, the DIF aims to make a significant contribution to the collective understanding of our national heritage by being an integral part of the heritage sector. Unparalleled across the world for a detectorist organisation, we involve all major national stakeholder bodies and institutions in forming our DIF Advisory Board.

Our role in the non-intrusive Survey.

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Our role in the non-intrusive Survey.

Photogrammetry and geophysical surveys have transformed how archaeological sites can be defined without the need for excavation. The DIF detectorist in combining field-walking with metal detecting, focuses on surface, topsoil and the plough horizon to uncover important dating evidence forming the portable part of the archaeological record. Spatial recording of finds plotted over geophysics survey images, can help transform how a site is to be defined.

News

The DIF Resource

The DIF’s Tom Redmayne – At the forefront of self-recording

December 5, 2023
News

The PAS database and self-recording On 23rd May 2023, the PAS sent out an invitation to key representatives of the UK metal detecting organisations to attend a “Finds recording day” at the British Museum. Delegates were from PAS, DIF, AMDS, NCMD, A&MD magazine and Sassy Searchers. The meeting was an opportunity to introduce the delegates […]

The DIF Resource

The DIF’s Alix Smith – Determining the location and extent of a Roman town.

December 5, 2023
News

METAL-DETECTING SURVEY, Summer 2023 For me, metal detecting has always been about the archaeology. Although often fascinating and beautiful in themselves, the true value of the objects I recover lies in the information they provide about the wider landscape, both historic and geographic, in which they were lost. I have always believed that metal-detecting should […]

Forum

For members registered on the forum under their own names rather than pseudonyms, our forum provides an opportunity for all detectorists, stakeholders, corporates, and friends of the DIF to raise topics of interest and discuss issues in a friendly, beneficial, and helpful way

Forum

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Join our journey in preserving history and heritage by subscribing to our mailing list. Receive regular updates that highlight our dedication to conservation and connect with like-minded enthusiasts.

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Fascinating and informative, Detectorists World is an online magazine that brings you stories from the UK, Europe, and beyond. In partnership with the DIF, we feature interviews, videos, and podcasts that highlight the conservational importance of historical finds of significance. We delve deeper than the average retweet, investigating the facts behind discoveries. Have you a great story to tell?

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