The ethics of excavating: bioarchaeology and the case for rehabilitating legacy human skeletal collections in the Near East

Abstract

Excavation is considered by many to be an inextricable part of bioarchaeology, generating assemblages of human skeletons that bioarchaeologists rely on to reconstruct the past. However, in the Near East and beyond, little reflexivity has been given as to whether skeletal collections should continue to be amassed amidst the existence of already-excavated assemblages, especially those skeletal collections that have not yet been properly curated, analyzed, and/or published. What are the ethical implications of excavating human bone without subsequent accountability to care for the dead? Are we ethically obligated to disseminate findings on legacy collections excavated by our predecessors, despite the challenges in doing so? In lieu of generating new human skeletal assemblages through excavation, I argue for an ethical imperative for bioarchaeologists to first seek out and rehabilitate understudied, legacy and orphaned collections. The benefits of working with such collections, as well as prioritizing funding and training towards these efforts, are likewise explored.