Teaching
Archaeology
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Unit 2
Ethics in Archaeology
Archaeological discussions about ethics are reshaping the discipline both in theory and in practice. This unit provides a general introduction to some major ethical principles and presents examples of ethics in action and ongoing challenges.
Sapiens articles
Confronting Cultural Imperialism in Native American Archaeology
The ethical, legal, and research-oriented tools of archaeology can encourage Native American self-determination rather than undermine it.
The Ethical Battle Over Ancient DNA
Researchers who study the DNA of ancient Native Americans have been learning how to collaborate with American Indian tribes instead of fighting them over ancestral human remains. But a recent case suggests still more sensitivity is needed.
Keywords
View All in Archaeology
![A white-gloved hand holds a small brush and gently clears debris from a human and a canine skull.]()
![A reddish rocky ridge rises up beneath a blue sky with white clouds.]()
![Herds of black-and-white striped zebras and wildebeest gallop across plains and shallow water.]()
![Beside a large rock, a team digs at an archaeological site scattered with blue and green buckets and sandbags. Some team members wear red hats.]()
![A person wearing black-framed glasses and a white shirt with a green, blue, black, and gold flag emblem on it points up at a rock surface that has faint bronze-colored drawings on it.]()
![A person with long brown hair and a smudge of dirt on her forehead carries a stone weapon and wears a fur around her shoulders and neck.]()
Unearthing What Archaeologists Can and Cannot Know
An archaeologist studying 1,000-year-old dog burials reflects on the need for imagination in archaeology.
The Tomb That Told of a Women’s Kingdom
An archaeologist unspools the story of a female leader buried over 1,000 years ago on the Tibetan Plateau.
Do Africa’s Mass Animal Migrations Extend Into Deep Time?
Isotopes in fossil teeth suggest ancient animals traveled less than once thought—making researchers rethink past human societies and future conservation.
In Human Origins Research, Communities Are the Missing Link
A paleoanthropologist reflects on relationships between researchers and communities living around sites relevant to human evolution.
Reclaiming Tanzania’s Deep Past—Together
A U.S. archaeologist reflects on the power of community-driven research in Tanzania to include local voices and reshape how the story of human origins is told.
Archaeological Fiction and a Scientist’s Dilemma
An archaeologist reflects on the role of fiction, such as The Clan of the Cave Bear, to imagine the deep past—and inspire future generations of archaeologists.
View All in Colonialism
![Parts of a wall clock lie on a table disassembled.]()
![A horse and another animal graze alongside a dirt road rising across the right side of a photo. The shines on a hazy scene above a village.]()
![A group of people in elaborate bright-colored ceremonial clothing and headdresses stands in the middle of a tree-lined street in daylight.]()
![A humanoid figure covered from head to toe in a shaggy green suit stands beside a tree trunk, amid low, bright-green foliage.]()
![A family photograph in a photo album shows a woman in a white shirt with a purse on her lap sitting next to two young children in red sweaters.]()
![A white-gloved hand holds a shiny gold bar in front of a wide, narrow box that contains several more gold bars.]()
Listening Against the Threshold of Pain
SAPIENS’ 2025 poet-in-residence situates her listening in Kashmir and Germany during and after her fieldwork, contextualizing her contributions to SAPIENS this year.
Sounding the Border
An anthropologist-poet listens to echoes of laughter and other sounds of crossings in Kashmir.
The Sacred Heartbeat at Houston Pride
An anthropologist participates in the Houston Pride Parade, offering dance, music, and prayer with others to counter intensifying oppression faced by queer and Latine communities.
Ukrainian Volunteers Weave Camouflage and Care
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, Ukrainians have been gathering to support the war effort by creating camouflage nets for fighters on the frontlines.
The Day I Heard My Mother’s Accent
In a personal essay, an anthropologist reflects on her family’s dual Syrian and French heritage.
The Myth of “Risk-Free” Gold
An anthropologist unpacks how colonial histories and racial and class hierarchies shape who is allowed to desire and accumulate gold today.
View All in Ethics
![Four person-shaped wooden figurines stand on wood surface that has been painted bright blue. On the right, three cluster together representing parents and a child. On the left, one with a child-shaped cut out stands alone.]()
![A beige cylindrical object with lines and marks carved on its surface rests on a soft green surface.]()
![A woman in a blue sweater, tan dress, and tall brown boots pushes a dolly loaded with a great ape skeleton through a white room full of taxidermic animals.]()
![Beneath a blue sky with a few wispy white clouds, the glassy, rippling deep-blue surface of the ocean stretches to the horizon.]()
![A large group of people walks down a tree-lined street, with some holding colorful flags.]()
![A person in a dark-blue velvet coat stands face to face with a replica of an ancient dark-colored statue of a man and places their hands on its chest.]()
In Japan, the Philosophical Stance Against Having Children
An anthropologist delves beyond simplistic portrayals of the anti-natalist movement to understand what motivates its adherents.
When Wartime Plunder Comes to Campus
An archaeologist considers whether students should learn from antiquities looted from Iraq.
Envisioning a More Empathetic Treatment of Great Ape Remains
Many museums are reckoning with the colonial legacies of the human remains and cultural objects in their collections. Now anthropologists are advocating to pay similar respects to primates.
Home-Carrying—A Repatriation Trip to Vanuatu 100 Years in the Making
An anthropologist and poet reflects on a journey of return that tells a larger story about human connection, acts of Indigenous solidarity, and the potential for repair within anthropology.
Can Ancient DNA Support Indigenous Histories?
A biological anthropologist reflects on how scientific research can be used to reaffirm or undermine Indigenous land ties in Argentina.
Can Embracing Copies Help With Museum Restitution Cases?
Many museums are wrestling with returning looted or unethically obtained ancient objects. An archaeologist considers how a shift in public attitudes toward plaster and 3D copies could make a difference.
View All in Indigenous
![Parts of a wall clock lie on a table disassembled.]()
![A horse and another animal graze alongside a dirt road rising across the right side of a photo. The shines on a hazy scene above a village.]()
![A group of people in elaborate bright-colored ceremonial clothing and headdresses stands in the middle of a tree-lined street in daylight.]()
![Kashmiri men separate chestnuts from mud while in boats floating serenely across a silvery lake. Trees are reflected on the water's surface.]()
![The National Park Service Insignia—a pine tree, snow-capped mountain, and buffalo within a brown arrowhead shape—adorns the shoulder of a gray sweatshirt.]()
![A mosque, shrine, and houses lie in ruins after having been burned.]()
Listening Against the Threshold of Pain
SAPIENS’ 2025 poet-in-residence situates her listening in Kashmir and Germany during and after her fieldwork, contextualizing her contributions to SAPIENS this year.
Sounding the Border
An anthropologist-poet listens to echoes of laughter and other sounds of crossings in Kashmir.
The Sacred Heartbeat at Houston Pride
An anthropologist participates in the Houston Pride Parade, offering dance, music, and prayer with others to counter intensifying oppression faced by queer and Latine communities.
Dreamscapes of Refusal: A Chorus
SAPIENS poet-in-residence for 2025 listens to a chorus of dreams in her field recordings from Kashmir.
The Cost of Cutting Anthropology Out of U.S. National Parks
A former National Park Service anthropologist reflects on the vital role of cultural anthropology to the agency’s mission—and what might be lost if the Trump administration’s cuts to federal funding and staffing continue.
Listening to Murmurs
Through her field recordings, SAPIENS poet-in-residence for 2025 listens to murmurings of clay, debris, and time in Kashmir’s Tsaar.
Professor Talking Points
- Ethics determine the decisions we make about how to act.
- Ethical thought helps us decide where to focus our inquiries and how to structure our approaches to work.
- Ethics in archaeology involve theory and practice.
- They help guide the principles of study and research on material culture, and they help lay the foundation for guidelines on how to interact with those whose lives and ancestors are the focus of study with respect, honesty, and professionalism.
- Discussions around ethical practices are often based on the process of recognizing histories of inequality that stem from colonialism and imperialism.
- Ethics help reshape the field to correct past wrongs, where possible, and develop practices that allow for work in partnership with communities that is mutually beneficial and that does not cause harm.
Academic Articles
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Colwell-Chanthaphonh, Chip, Jennifer J. Hollwell, and Dru McGill. 2008. “Thinking Through Ethics.” In Ethics in Action: Case Studies in Archaeological Dilemmas, edited by Chip Colwell-Chanthaphonh, Jennifer J. Hollwell, and Dru McGill, 29–52. Washington, D.C.: Society for American Archaeology Press.
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Soderland, Hilary A., and Ian A. Lilley. 2015. “The Fusion of Law and Ethics in Cultural Heritage Management: The 21st Century Confronts Archaeology.” Journal of Field Archaeology 40 (5): 508–522.
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Watkins, Joe. 2005. “Though Wary Eyes: Indigenous Perspectives on Archaeology.” Annual Review of Anthropology 34: 429–449.
Student Discussion Questions
- List the ethical principles addressed by the five readings. What previous actions and approaches might have led to the creation of these new standards for archaeological work?
- What are the sources of the tensions between Indigenous populations and archaeologists, and the field of archaeology, specifically?
- In general terms, what is the legacy of colonialism in archaeology, and which ethical concepts try to address those issues?
- What went wrong in the case covered by the 2017 SAPIENS article by Michael Balter? What aspects of source community agreements should be considered in cases like these moving forward?
- Why is so much emphasis put on listening to Indigenous voices? Why is it important for Indigenous communities to be involved in archaeological projects?
Activities
- Have students write a one-page analysis comparing the Society for American Archaeology’s (SAA) Principles of Archaeological Ethics and the World Archaeological Congress’ Code of Ethics.
- Have the class debate ethical quandaries, drawing from the SAA’s Ethics Bowl.
Additional Resources
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Article: Undark’s “In the Study of Ancient DNA, a Call for Collaboration”
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List: Register of Professional Archaeologists & the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists’ Codes of Ethics and Professional Standards
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Podcast: Otherwise?’s “Kenya’s Cultural Heritage”
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TEDx Talk: Chip Colwell’s “Why Museums Are Returning Cultural Treasures”
Unit By
Eshe Lewis (2020)
Teaching
Archaeology
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Unit 3
Museums
