EX PRETERITUS

Ex Preteritus: the online museum

This site is intended to be a register of accidental antique finds from the Danube region of Hungary and Croatia, known as Pannonia in Roman times, and Sclavonia or Slavonia in medieval times. Farming in the region leans very heavily towards crops over meadow or pasture, which means that most of the region is under the plough. The area is very rich in artefacts from ancient cultures from the Neolithic onwards, and many thousands of artefacts are destroyed each year due to agricultural activity. Developments in farming technology and the growth of chemical use means that many unknown sites and artefacts are in great danger of completely disappearing before they are even discovered. Items that have laid in the ground for a thousand years or more quickly deteriorate after they are disturbed and action must be taken to save them.
At Ex Preteritus, we register finds from possible ancient sites under risk, usually recovered artefacts from the topsoil that would otherwise be destroyed. We also attempt to register casual finds made by individuals. This site features items recovered from plough soil all over the region. None of the artefacts came from registered or protected sites, or have been dug out of archaeological layers, but come from the surface of ordinary ploughed land. All the items archived here are reported and registered with the local museum.

Please note that there is nothing for sale on this site.