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Archaeology and Ethics

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Submitted By micheleheatherly
Words 1357
Pages 6
Michelle Heatherly
Archaeology and Ethics
11/15/12
Student Id: 5920 mheathe3@utk.edu Anth 120- 004

There are many similarities in the ethical statements/codes of the SAA, SHA, AIA, and RPA. The ones that pertain to this case are as follows: it is the responsibility of archaeologists to work for the long-term conservation and protection of the archaeological record (SAA 1, AIA 1, RPA 1.1-e). The buying and selling of objects out of archaeological context is contributing to the destruction of the archaeological record around the world, and these items should not be traded, sold, bought, or bartered as commercial goods (SAA 3, SHA 6, AIA 2, RPA 1.2-e). Within reasonable time, the knowledge archaeologists gain from sites must be presented in an accessible form, also the documents and materials on which publication are based should be deposited in a suitable place for permanent safekeeping (SAA6, SHA3). And Finally it is the responsibility of archaeologist to inform appropriate authorities of threats to plunder archaeological sites, and illegal import or export of archaeological material (AIA3, RPA 1.2-c)
In this particular case, the local employees in question did not want to conserve or protect the archaeological record. The text quotes “At the time, they hid the pots inside a tree trunk.” This breaks an ethical code which is prevalent throughout many different societies and organizations. The archaeologists should not have hidden the artifacts in a tree. The pots could have been damaged or found by another party who might not understand or appreciate their value. Now, while this may be true, the text also says: “They searched for the pots and found them still safe in the tree.” So, while the ethics were unsound, in this particular case no damage was done. However, just because in this instance the artifacts retained their quality, it

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