There was an item in this month's "Bottles and Extras", a bottle collectors' magazine, that should be of considerable interest to archaeologists and historic preservationists.  The magazine is published by The Federation of Historical Bottle Collectors (FOHBC)and the article listed a code of ethics with 14 statements.  The FOHBC is the main organization that impacts thousands of bottle collectors so their statement of ethics is of importance.

Four of the 14 statements on ethics related specifically to archaeology and came as a pleasant surprise to me.  They may not be expressed the way we might want them phrased, but they are encouraging.  Here are the relevant statements: 

"Accept my responsibility to be aware of all State, Federal and local laws regarding private property and archaeology and agree to adhere to them.
"Refrain from digging on State or Federal property without consent from proper authority.
"Refrain from digging in burial grounds or specified archaeological sites.
"Report to State Department of Natural Resources any potentially historic or prehistoric site I locate."

Allen Vegotsky