answer the questions in 3-5 sentences.

Question

1. How do new discoveries alter our perception of history?

1. Who should own the discoveries Public or Private entities and why? (museums, private collector, the government)

1. What discovery do you find the most interesting from the video and why?

1. Should we be tampering with tombs that have never been disrupted (why/why not)? 

Answer 1

While these questions seem to be from a specific homework assignment, they touch on some fundamental aspects of the relationship between archaeological discoveries, ownership, and stewardship.

Should we be tampering with tombs that have never been disrupted (why/why not)? 

Within the past fifty years there has been a movement against conducting more excavation than is needed. These days excavation is seen as the last step in archaeological practice, before which careful survey work needs to be completed. Archaeology is inherently destructive, and tombs can only be excavated once. Moreover, objects currently buried in their original contexts are likely in a better state of preservation than if they were to be removed. Archaeologists talk about their responsibility to not excavate needlessly, so as to save information for future archaeologists. When we look back at the archaeological excavations of the early 20th and 19th century, their methods look particularly careless to modern eyes. Archaeologists of the future will have better methods, and will excavate better than the archaeologists of today.

However, there are also other concerns. An unexcavated tomb might be a particular draw to looters, who will destroy the archaeological context and make getting information from these sites impossible. As a result, archaeologists may feel that they have a duty to excavate before that happens.

Who should own the discoveries Public or Private entities and why? (museums, private collector, the government)

Ownership of the past is a complicated issue, and differs among countries. I believe that governments have a responsibility to protect and preserve archaeological remains and sites. Private ownership is a particularly difficult issue because purchasing pieces of cultural heritage often means funding a black market which exploits local communities and contributes to the destruction of shared heritage. Even objects which purportedly come from private collections which are hundreds of years old (and so acquired before governments agreed on specific laws about looting [e.g., UNESCO Treaty]), may actually be looted objects. Museums, especially those that are government funded, have a responsibility not to purchase artifacts which may have been looted.