Whats the difference between archaeology and grave robbing?

[The Dig Dig]

omg...of course...that's the rub...ALL professors , students and especially archaeologists, are drunks living of you and your labors...

I never said any of them were living off me, i said they live off their parents while drinking their way through 4 years of school. But since you brought it up my tax dollars are funding their digs........ And since you are convinced all MDer's are grave robbers why can't I consider all those who go to college as partiers?

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[worldtalker]

Archeologists have a degree, giving them permission to grave Rob.

I agree,a Sheep Skin on the wall!

 

[Gold Maven]

Whether a Professional digs it, catalogs it, boxes it up and stores it in the basement of a museum, or I dig it and display it in my house, or drop it in a bucket in my garage, it is basically the same thing.

More people may see and appreciate it on my wall, perhaps not, all I know for sure is we will all be dead some day, and it doesn't really matter.

Excuse my morbidity, I had four friends die in the last month, way before their time......kind of puts things in perspective.

 

[MickeyMaguire]

This debate brings up some interesting points, but perceived value of a particular fort or encampment really is a weak argument. How does one know or not know the value of a particular site unless one explores it? I am sure that Dr. Leakey had his critics when he started his work on day one. Funny, if Juan Ponse de Leon had listened to his critics, the new world would have lost a lot of history and the 1715 fleet would never have been caught in that stupid hurricane. Way to go Ponsie old boy.

Some of the most important discoveries of science were made by amateurs (Ben Frankin was not actually a scientist-- be was a printer with a yen for tinkering with things and kicking around ideas).

If friendly cooperation between archaeologists and metal detectorists were more common, both would have a better understanding or each other's position and possible contribution to the cause. I can see both sides of the argument.

 

[MickeyMaguire]

I should also add... I have a few friends that I could call in the event of discovering anything that would be significant. I would gladly do so and ask to be involved in a dig. I am pretty sure that they would allow it, too. They know I respect the process.

 

[Smudge]

That's easy. Archie's sell their discoveries on the black market. Metal detectorists use eBay.

 

[mrs.oroblanco]

To me, grave-robbing is just that - robbing a grave of valuables. However, I have always had a problem with the "professional grave robbers" - as in the ones who not only rob the graves, but also rob the bodies and removing them from their final resting place. I can actually see the benefit of collecting a few samples of early peoples - but, the truth was shown to me several years ago, in the name of a famous "institute", who, not only have taken 100's and 100's of skeletons, but have the valuable contents of the graves in private collections of museum and institute "benefactors", and have those left over bodies, disintegrating in crates in their basements. They aren't scientific excursions, they are out and out robbery. And then, when THESE people die, their relatives sell off all the goodies, donating some for tax purposes, and the world never benefits - only the next "benefactor" or their family, down the line. And then you hear them say they do it so that "grave robbers and thieves" don't get the stuff - what they really mean is that they don't get it before they do.

I cannot imagine being happy, in any way, if someone dug up an old relative of mine, keeping their goodies, and either hanging their skeletons for all to see, or dumping them in some crate in some institute's basement. Just my opinion.

Mrs.O