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
![People walk through a long, wide museum hallway with high arched ceilings and skylights framed by tall tan columns.]()
![A person wearing a dark blue shirt and a red umbrella hat walks through a lush field of tall green grasses.]()
![A U-shaped cove encircled by rugged peaks covered in green forest opens to an ocean in varying shades of blues that extends to the horizon where colossal white clouds sit.]()
![A large moose stands in the shallow waters of a lake at sunset, with the water reflecting vibrant golden and orange hues.]()
![The ruins of a gray stone building stand below a cerulean sky with fluffy white clouds.]()
![A bearded man in a vest and red scarf holds up his two hands in loose blue gloves, with a small tooth in each hand.]()
Spain’s Move to Decolonize Its Museums Must Continue
In early 2024, Spain’s culture minister announced that the nation would overhaul its state museum collections, igniting a wave of anticipation—and controversy.
It’s Time to Replace “Prehistory” With “Deep History”
A team of archaeologists working in Southeast Asia is pushing toward a deeper understanding of history that amplifies Indigenous and local perspectives to challenge traditional archaeological timelines.
How and When Did Humans First Move Into the Pacific?
New archaeological research reveals insights into the first-known seafarers to brave ocean crossings from Asia to the Pacific Islands more than 50,000 years ago.
Do Moose “Belong” in Colorado?
As moose populations multiply in the Southern Rocky Mountains, decision-makers are questioning whether the animals are endemic or invaders. Archaeology can offer answers—and potential solutions.
How Colonialism Invented Food Insecurity in West Africa
Archaeological evidence and Oral Histories show people in what is today Ghana lived sustainably for millennia—until European colonial powers and the widespread trade of enslaved people changed everything.
Unraveling a “Ghost” Neanderthal Lineage
Remains in France found by archaeologists and geneticists suggest at least two lineages—not just one—of late Neanderthals in Europe.
View All in Colonialism
![A person dressed in a red Santa Claus suit with white trim kneels on a military runway while speaking into a handheld radio. In the background are two rows of large military airplanes.]()
![An image focuses on two hands of a statue in shadow coming together holding a white flower.]()
![People walk through a long, wide museum hallway with high arched ceilings and skylights framed by tall tan columns.]()
![A person wearing a dark blue shirt and a red umbrella hat walks through a lush field of tall green grasses.]()
![A line of cattle travel across a dry desert landscape, kicking up dust.]()
![The ruins of a gray stone building stand below a cerulean sky with fluffy white clouds.]()
Unwrapping Operation Christmas Drop
An anthropologist takes a critical eye to a long-running holiday tradition: a U.S. military mission that drops toys and supplies throughout Micronesia.
Survival Notes
Black African women in former colonial centers such as London gesture to subversive ways of communicating with those imprisoned in archives across generations.
Spain’s Move to Decolonize Its Museums Must Continue
In early 2024, Spain’s culture minister announced that the nation would overhaul its state museum collections, igniting a wave of anticipation—and controversy.
It’s Time to Replace “Prehistory” With “Deep History”
A team of archaeologists working in Southeast Asia is pushing toward a deeper understanding of history that amplifies Indigenous and local perspectives to challenge traditional archaeological timelines.
An Imagined Monograph for Nongqawuse
A 19th-century prophetess reportedly bore a serious message from the ancestors to her Xhosa people amid British colonial assault. The written archives judged her—but much still remains unknown and unacknowledged.
How Colonialism Invented Food Insecurity in West Africa
Archaeological evidence and Oral Histories show people in what is today Ghana lived sustainably for millennia—until European colonial powers and the widespread trade of enslaved people changed everything.
View All in Ethics
![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.]()
![People wearing brown and tan coats shop in front of a woman in a pink outfit beneath a neon blue sign that reads SHEIN (pronounced “she-in”).]()
![A large, tan cardboard box sits on a shelf with a label that reads “C2” below it. On two small pieces of black tape on the box’s front side, white letters read “Infant” and “Name Once Known.”]()
![A computer-rendered graphic shows a rocky hill with sparse greenery at its base against a dark blue, starry sky.]()
![Several people crowd into the wide room of a museum exhibit. Beige statues depicting parts of posed human bodies line the side walls of the room.]()
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.
Can “Made in China” Become a Beacon of Sustainability?
In the epicenter of fast fashion, a small cohort of Chinese eco-friendly designers is amplifying the call for a less wasteful and environmentally destructive clothing culture.
Infant, Name Once Known
A poet-anthropologist of the Chickasaw Nation honors infant remains historically used in teaching collections at the University of Illinois.
Taking Cultural Preservation to a New Dimension
A multidisciplinary team of researchers explains historical, cultural, and ethical issues they considered while developing a 3D scan of a South African site to be shared with the world online.
How Museum Items Go Missing
After alleged thefts from the British Museum, a curator explains the challenges of keeping track of collections—and the legal limitations on returning cultural material to source communities.
View All in Indigenous
![People walk through a long, wide museum hallway with high arched ceilings and skylights framed by tall tan columns.]()
![A person wearing a dark blue shirt and a red umbrella hat walks through a lush field of tall green grasses.]()
![A line of cattle travel across a dry desert landscape, kicking up dust.]()
![A gnarled tree stands on a reddish cliff, beyond which stretches a landscape of deeply hued sandstone plateaus that an ox-bowed river cuts through.]()
![A whale’s tail appears above the water, creating white foam as it splashes on the ocean’s surface. A small bird flies in the background.]()
![An ancient circular stone structure lies exposed under the ground surface. In the distance, light-red and tan mesas and flat desert expanses lie under a piercing blue sky with scattered fluffy white clouds.]()
Spain’s Move to Decolonize Its Museums Must Continue
In early 2024, Spain’s culture minister announced that the nation would overhaul its state museum collections, igniting a wave of anticipation—and controversy.
It’s Time to Replace “Prehistory” With “Deep History”
A team of archaeologists working in Southeast Asia is pushing toward a deeper understanding of history that amplifies Indigenous and local perspectives to challenge traditional archaeological timelines.
An Imagined Monograph for Nongqawuse
A 19th-century prophetess reportedly bore a serious message from the ancestors to her Xhosa people amid British colonial assault. The written archives judged her—but much still remains unknown and unacknowledged.
Gathering Firewood—and Redefining Land Stewardship—at Bears Ears
At Bears Ears National Monument in Utah, a new co-management plan brings together federal agencies and a consortium of Native American tribes—revealing deep tensions over land rights and demands for environmental justice.
Protecting Ancestral Waters Through Collaborative Stewardship
The proposed Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary, along California’s Central Coast, would be the first of its kind in the U.S. to be nominated by Native peoples.
Digging Into an Ancient Apocalypse Controversy From a Hopi Perspective
When producers for a popular Netflix series sought a permit to film on public lands in the U.S. Southwest, many Native leaders objected. A Hopi tribal official, Stewart B. Koyiyumptewa, shares his views.
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
