Why should we preserve and protect archaeological sites and artifacts?

Paul Buckner

Writ 101

Michelle Brown

9/18/11

Why should we preserve and protect archaeological sites and artifacts?

In this modern world one of the most dangerous problems we face is not the danger of economic collapse or environmental disaster but the loss of our cultural heritage. Our cultural heritage defines who we are today and who we will become; to let it be destroyed would be a travesty unequaled throughout human history. Unfortunately, this destruction of our past is progressing at the very moment I am writing this. Throughout the world archaeological sites and artifacts are being destroyed by neglect, in the name of progress, and most often, greed. Not even developed countries are safe, over the last five years Italian authorities were able to seize over 120,000 antiquities before they left the country but despite their efforts over 100,000 tombs in the southern Apulian region have been devastated (‘Illicit Antiquities’). Although in its self is a great tragedy it is relatively commonplace around the world. For example, in poverty stricken nation of Belize, “73 percent of major sites [have been] looted” (‘Illicit Antiquities’), and in nearby Guatemala thieves have become so brazen they, “…they even looted from the laboratory at Tikal.”(‘Illicit Antiquities’). It is clear that something must be down about this growing problem before it is too late and the wonders of our past are lost forever.

This topic is very important to me and I care about resolving this crisis very deeply.  I vividly remember the near floating feeling I felt as a young boy touring the famous cliff dwellings of Mesa Verde and the temples of Tulum. From the largest pyramids to the smallest arrowheads the objects of the past gave me a tingling sensation that reached my very core as I considered the history of each artifact. This intense and almost unreal feeling of amazement inspired me to pursue a career in archaeology and helped shape who I am today. However, my passion for the past and for archaeology is trumped by my desire for future generations to experience the same unexplainable feelings of wonder and awe while gazing upon the monuments left behind by our ancestors.

For my goal to become a reality we must act fast. Already more and more sites are becoming endangered and threatened. In Egypt floods are damaging tombs in the Valley of the Kings and the oldest freestanding mud brick structure in the world is on the verge of collapse due to neglect (Wiseman). Although nature is contributing to the crisis it no match for the human trait of greed as evidenced by the fact that, “… in southwest Niger between 50 and 90 per cent of sites have been destroyed by looters” (‘Illicit Antiquities’).

This is clearly a problem that must be addressed; the statistics can only tell us so much about the problem. The fact is that archaeological sites around the world are being destroyed and too little too late is being done to stop it. Not only is the feeling of wonder I felt being stolen from future generations but vast reserves of knowledge are being lost once sites are destroyed and archaeologists are unable to study them.

Works Cited

Brodie, Neil, and Peter Watson. "Illicit Antiquities:  the Destruction of the World's Archaeological Heritage." Illicit Antiquities Research Centre. University of Cambridge, Mar. 2000. Web. 19 Sept. 2011. <http://www.mcdonald.cam.ac.uk/projects/iarc/culturewithoutcontext/issue5/brodie-watson.htm>.

Wiseman, James. "The World's Most Endangered Sites." Archaeology 52.6 (1999): 28. University of Montana. Web. 18 Sept. 2011.