Principles of Archaeological Ethics (Research Paper Sample)

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Ethics in Archeology
Abstract
The primary motive of earlier archeologists was to evacuate a site to collect as many artifacts as they could for display in museums. The behavior was justified by the curiosity about humans of the past and the potential to discover fascinating and lucrative objects. Due to this unscientific approach, little useful information beyond the recovery of material culture could be derived from the excavations. Modern archeology, however, is characterized by a shift towards scientific knowledge. Archeologists recognize that archeological records yield crucial information about the past, and as such, the preservation, conservation, and recording of artifacts is paramount. However, although various laws and protections have been established to guide archeologists in their practice, such as the World Archeological Congress’ code of ethics (including the Dead Sea Accord, the Tamaki Makau-rau Accord on the Display of Human Remains and Sacred Objects, and the Vermillion Accord on Human Remains), the American Antiquities Act of 1906 and National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, several ethical issues such as nationalism and ethnocentrism persist in archeology. The present paper focuses on the importance of ethics in the archeological practice and the ethical considerations that guide the relationship between archeologists, past humans, cultural objects, and the living with a view to contributing towards the building of a universal and transcendent body of archeological ethics. A coherent behavior and attitude towards past people can minimize the problems that face today’s archeological practice.
Introduction
Throughout the course of human civilizations, archeology is seen as a tool that can be used to achieve certain objectives. Archeology can yield positive and negative impacts for communities. It enables people to become aware of their history, place, and community, and their relationship with their ancestors (Lynott 247). It provides the living with a means to learn and preserve their past cultures and promotes environmental conservation. However, archeology has several detrimental effects. It has the potential to be used as a tool for nationalistic aggression, promote racial and ethnic discrimination, and destroy a people’s sense of cultural identity (Lynott 247). The excavation process can also be hazardous to the environment. The increased awareness of the potentially harmful effects of archeology has led to the society becoming more critical towards the practice of archeology. Thus, ethics are imperative in the modern practice of archeology.
Until the latter half of the eighteenth century, archeologists were driven by the desire to explore barrows, mounds, and other archeological features with the hope of collecting fascinating and lucrative objects that could be sold to museums (McGill 2). For example, the work of Giovanni Batista Belzoni, known for removing portions of the Parthenon from the Acropolis at Athens, Greece, and for plundering the tombs of ancient Egypt, illustrates the unscientific recovery of artifacts (McGill 2). As such, little information could be extracted from the recovered human and non-human material. However, as antiquarians gradually realized that archeological records could yield useful information about the past if carefully studied. This marked the beginning of scientific archeology, which entails systematic excavations and surveys and the application of professional ethics in the excavation process. Archeological ethics are the moral and professional codes of conduct that guide archeologists in their study of the material past. It addresses the issues of excavation and preservation of human remains and cultural items, ethnoarchaeology, site preservation, public relations, and environmental conservation.
Archeological ethics is a branch of the philosophy of archeology that deals with morality, moral judgements, and moral problems. Ethics are the principles of morality that govern an individual’s behavior in the conduct of an activity. It is about right and wrong, good and bad behavior, and prescribes what a person ought to do with regard to virtues, rights and obligations, fairness, and benefits to society (Scarre and Scarre). Archeologists require a structured approach to deal with the ethical issues that often confront them in their practice. Situations such as working individually or with others in the field, decisions about the treatment of cultural material and data in the laboratory, interactions with indigenous populations, and training in the classroom call for complicated and sensitive decisions. Additional modern ethical concerns include illegal trafficking of antiques, destruction of archeological sites, repatriation of cultural objects in museums, misrepresentation of the past, and preservation of archeological and heritage sites in conflict areas. These are issues that confront archeologists globally regardless of their specialty, location, heritage, rank, age, or gender. By prescribing the course of action for an archeologist faced with one or more of these moral dilemmas, ethics serve a critical part in the development of the profession.
Archeologists’ responsibilities fall into two broad categories; responsibility to the profession and responsibility to the public interest (Lynott 250). Responsibilities to the interest of the public go beyond the archeological profession. Archeological objects and sites are vestiges of the human past, which contribute useful knowledge about the human past. Like the natural environment, the historic environment is an irreplaceable and shared resource that must be cared for, researched, and