Archaeological Ethics

Abstract

In recent years, professional ethics have become an integral part of contemporary discourse, training, and practice in archaeology. The reasons for the growing prominence of archaeological ethics are many but include the flourishing of the illicit antiquities market, the rise of the repatriation movement, the boom of archaeology in the public sector, and the implication of archaeological heritages in surges of ethnic violence and armed conflict. This article introduces the history of archaeological ethics, the ways which archaeologists approach professional ethics today, and several current themes in archaeological ethics.