Ethics in Action: Case Studies in Archaeological Dilemmas

Consider: ancient artifacts pilfered in Mexico for pesos sold at auction in New York City for a small fortune; African Americans protesting the excavation of a slave burial ground; subdivisions and cell phone towers erected on sacred sites; millions of tourists pouring into the fragile and ancient cliff dwellings of Mesa Verde year after year; a small burial container thought to be evidence of Jesus' existence until proven a fake; the annihilation of millennia old Buddhist statues by Islamic fundamentalists. Given such controversies in recent years-and these are just a few-it is little wonder that professional ethics have become a growing part of contemporary discourse, training, and practice in archaeology. Almost daily, newspapers report some new crisis, but the reasons for paying attention to ethical issues in archaeology go much deeper than what we see in the news, especially for aspiring and practicing archaeologists. Based on the Society for American Archaeology's Annual Ethics Bowl, this book is centered on a series of hypothetical case studies that challenge the reader to think through the complexities of archaeological ethics. The volume will benefit undergraduate and graduate students who can either use these cases as a classroom activity or as preparation for the Ethics Bowl, as well as those who are seeking to better understand the ethical predicaments that face the discipline.