Well ... I don't think that medicine is an appropriate analogy for this
situation since people actually ... at least at times ... need medicine
to live. However ... people do not need archaeology to live ... and in
fact ... it may be argued that they don't need the past at all.

Whenever I hear that common statement along the lines of "knowing our
past so that we don't repeat our mistakes" ... I am always struck by the
fact that it is seldom heeded. History is little more than a chronicle of
repititious mistakes. If we truly wanted to learn from the past ... there
are many examples that could give us great insight as to our present
predicament.

I think what this discussion really started as was an evaluation of what
the past means and perhaps what is the use, value, etc. of the past in
relation to our present. I think it is rather pompous of us to think that
we operate on a "public mandate" ... especially when archaeologists seldom
involve themselves in the public sphere beyond their self-interests.

Kevin.