Cultural (including archaeological) heritage possesses not only cultural value but also a set of other socio-economic benefits that are completely or partially lost, causing damage to heritage sites. The very concept of “value” or “benefit” raises the question of their assessment. Naturally, the question arises, according to what criteria the objects of archaeological heritage are evaluated. Unfortunately, the question of value and its evaluation often arises when the value bearer is lost or damaged, so the aspect of valuing the damage caused to the archaeological heritage as a result of this or other illegal activities becomes relevant. Another related question is how justified the calculations of these damages are in the relevant civil, administrative and criminal proceedings. From an economic point of view archaeological heritage has an active value, so it is important to be aware of its current and potential socio-economic impact and the range of social interests associated with its use in order to justify and ensure its effective preservation, maintenance and sustainable use. In the context of the development and well-being of society, archaeological heritage is essential, however, it is not an inexhaustible resource, whose exploitation is closely linked to the cultural, social, economic and environmental dimensions of sustainable development. Against this background, there is a growing debate on the development of an interdisciplinary approach to both identifying and developing the opportunities offered by this heritage. This approach is also used in identifying, and mitigating threats. Thus, this presentation, analysing the situation in Latvia and several other European countries, based on the findings of archaeology, applies integration of socioeconomic and legal approaches to the research issues, providing both theoretical and practical insight into the issues and possible solutions for determining the loss of archaeological heritage.