Archaeological Ethics

Reviews / Votes

Ethics matter! Archaeology is too important, and what archaeologists do affects too many groups of people: we cannot just push ahead without really thinking through the consequences of what we do. This new edition updates this first-rate guide to what should be in all our minds. -- Christopher Chippindale, Cambridge University Museum of Archaeology & Anthropology Archaeological Ethics is a central text for our discipline and represents our global engagement with archaeology's many, diverse stakeholders. -- Lynn Meskell, Stanford University Amongst practicing archaeologists, K. D. Vitelli is the premier scholar of archaeological ethics, and her student Chip Colwell-Chanthaphonh is following closely in her footsteps. Together they have put together a wholly revised second edition of Archaeological Ethics that is sure to become a standard handbook for both teachers and researchers. The range of articles in the book includes both the classical statements of issues as well as new considerations and theoretical developments, formulated neatly along with presentations of concrete examples of doing archaeology well at the same time that archaeologists 'do good.' Many members of the discipline, both Classical and New World archaeologists, have come to rely on Vitelli as a touchstone for understanding ethics in archaeology; needless to say, with her editorial work on this new volume, she has not let us down. -- Anne Pyburn, Indiana University Issues in archaeological ethics are rarely black and white; by avoiding simplistic answers to complex issues, this volume teaches rather than preaches. Instead of focusing on answers, it helps archaeologists ask the right questions. It covers a wide range of archaeological issues, and encourages reflection on the reasons underlying them. No archaeologist can afford to ignore the issues this volume addresses, neither can they afford to assume they know the answers to the questions it poses. Steal this book! -- Alex Barker, Milwaukee Public Museum The second edition of Archaeological Ethics is as enthralling, timely, and effective for teaching purposes as was the first. Beginning, in the Introduction, with a philosophical discussion of morals and ethics, subsequent chapters consider the facts and the problems of excavations, legal and illegal, in many parts of the world. While perhaps intended for archaeologists, this book provides an invaluable resource for all those who study and teach the history and peoples of the past. -- Clemency Coggins, Boston University Vitelli and Colwell-Chanthaphonh have done an outstanding job updating an already significant collection of essays related to archaeological ethics. The authors address a wide span of issues that are relevant to the discipline. This volume is a major contribution to the field and it should become a standard text in the field. It is a must read for students and scholars. -- Paul A. Shackel, director, Center for Heritage Resource Studies, University of Maryland With case-studies from around the world, this book demonstrates that archaeology is a field of considerable political currency. Topics discussed include, among many others, the rights and interests of indigenous people; demands for the reburial and repatriation of archaeological finds; looting, fakes, and the ethics of collecting; the archaeology of a Nazi extermination site; archaeologists as secret agents; saving cultural heritage in Afghanistan and Iraq; archaeology and religious fundamentalism; and the depiction of prehistory in Jean Auel's bestselling novels. Well-written throughout, each case-study engages readers far more than the usual academic writing. Challenging questions for discussion after each chapter make Archaeological Ethics an ideal textbook. The book is essential reading for students of many fields within the humanities and social sciences, and it will intrigue a general audience about the politics of the past in the modern world. -- Cornelius Holtorf, University of Lund, Sweden Articles are well-written....Both volumes present important analyses and case studies of ethical issues facing our discipline today. -- 2008 * Canadian Journal of Archaeology *