Re: Chutzpa in treasure and pot hunters, several years ago a tour was given
of the Savich Farm site, in NJ, in conjunction with meetings of the
Archaeological Society of NJ.  The site is beneath a playground and
athletic fields and is quite visible from neighboring areas.  The tour was
given by the site excavator and many of us were quite happy to have a good
tour of this unique and important Archaic era site.  Unfortunately, the
week after the tour, potholes were discovered in key areas of the site, the
very areas that the excavator discussed as providing crucial information!
Clearly, someone associated with the tour either was a pot hunter or passed
on the information!! As significantly, there were not witnesses and no one
in the area noticed anything unusual.   Arghhhh!!!
  By the way, I make a clear distinction between pot hunters and amateur/
avocational archaeology fans, including those who collect off of their
farms.  Here in Iowa, in some areas, farming regularly turns up material,
which the farmers or their families will occassionally collect.  Many of
these folks are interested in the archaeology and have been helpful in
identifying as well as gaining access to sites.  The key is, they don't go
out of their way to get at archaeological materials and a few have gone so
far as to not plow or work site areas when feasible.
Best regards - john
John Staeck                     There is
Luther College, Anthropology    but one great society alone on earth:
Decorah, IA, 52101              the noble Living and the noble Dead.
[log in to unmask]         Wordsworth - The Prelude II