Larry,
I'm going to try to be polite, but I assume from your post that you have 
never had any professional training in Archaeology, or seen the various 
codes of ethics published by both professional and responsibile amateur 
organization. I strongly recommend you take some basic course work in 
archaeology and review the ethics codes, and it will become very clear to 
you why archaeologists become so upset about collectors. If they actually 
collect, they do not help, they destroy a non-renewable resource base -- yes 
even those plowed fields lose their contextual integrity when selectively 
vacuum-cleaned by "hobbyists".

Consider the standard old canard about a vandal walking into a museum and 
ripping the paintings off the well because he needed some canvas rags to 
clean his house-painting brushes. "Gosh, I didn't mean any harm; they were 
just hanging there!".

If you think this is sarcasm, please don't come to Virginia.

Tim T.

Date:    Sun, 23 Apr 2006 10:34:16 -0700
From:    Larry Moore <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Relic hunting and meta-ethics

I've followed the threads about relic hunting with interest. Thanks go
to Joe Roberts for starting it. Also, welcome, Joe, to the small group
of archaeologists who think that relic hunters are just normal everyday
people who should be worked with in productive ways. I consider them
allies rather than enemies. See my Two Bits for Falling on Our Swords
rant from 10 Sep. 2004.

  To me the issue with relic hunting is a disconnection between the
values and ethics of archaeologists and values and ethics operating
within the broader general public. The microcosm of archaeology often
runs counter to the macrocosm of American society. The usual manner that
archaeologists approach this problem is by trying to "correct" members
of the general public, forcing them into a minority way of thinking. The
image of a few archaeologists trying to correct the behavior of
thousands of relic hunters is actually quite funny.

  Realistically, you're not going to win situations like this.
Archaeologists have authority but little real power to do anything to
change the situation. Whining and shouting into the wind are helpful
only in that they release emotional energy. I learned a long time ago
that I can't control most situations or issues. All I can do is control
how I behave and respond.

  Archaeologists need to ask "why does the presence of relic hunters
spark such strong emotions from archaeologists?"  Having done this
myself I decided that some meta-values and ethics are important to me
and almost always supersede my interests in archaeology and CRM.
Democracy is always first; I say Live and Let Live, as long as its not
criminal. And, I make a mean apple pie.

  As a profession, archaeology is still in the journeyman stage of
development. To evolve into the master profession it should become it
has to face its greatest fear.

  Why does relic hunting pose such a threat to archaeology? My suspicion
is that its presence threatens the very soul of archaeology, its
identity. Embrace the fear and you'll have a better profession.

  Larry Moore