Archaeology and Ethics - 1357 Words

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†¦show more content†¦Also they are to be careful to preserve and protect the archaeological site when publishing and distributing information about their nature and location (SAA6 and SHA3). Finally, the last ethical dilemma to be discussed is the importance of archaeologists to inform the proper authorities when illegal trading, or selling, of artifacts is discovered. In the text it states, â€Å"The two project directors reply that they will not purchase the pots themselves, nor will they guarantee that authorities will not be notified. They do, however, loan the men some gasoline and a video camera for a day, to record the pots and their location.† It is questionable that the two directors would only imply that they could not promise the authorities would not be notified. It is their duty to do so, according to the statements and ethical codes of many archaeological organizations. They also give the local employees gasoline and a video camera for a day leads the reader to believe that they are okay with this sort of behavior and have no intention of notifying the proper authorities. It also says that because of the video camera, many of the villagers now know w here the cave is, and will likely know what ends up happening to the pots. Because the villagers now know where the cave is, it is even more important that the authorities are notified so that similar situations do not arise with villagers scavenging the cave and finding moreShow MoreRelatedThe Egyptian Cultural Heritage Program Essay1167 Words   |  5 PagesAssociation and many more. (UCL Institute of Archaeology). Additionally, the time and length of Hassan’s career spans more then 30 years of experience in the field of archeology (UCL Institute of Archaeology). He began his career in 1963 as a teaching assistance in the department of geology in Cairo University in Egypt (UCL Institute of Archaeology). He went on to participate in many research projects and fieldwork from about 1968 until 2009 (UCL Institute of Archaeology). 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