Another Example of Good Archaeological Ethics

CAMEROON: An underground petroleum pipeline from Chad to the Atlantic port of Kribi is providing a massive window into 100,000 years of central African history. Nearly 500 archaeological sites have been uncovered along the 600-mile project, including the first substantial evidence of permanent settlement in the country’s tropical forest (dating to 3,000 years ago.) The discoveries have helped push the government to promise to strengthen its commitment to preserving cultural heritage.

Issue: Protecting Underwater Archaeological Sites and Wrecks

"The looting of the tombs of Tutankhamen is now considered unacceptable, so why is the looting of shipwrecks considered acceptable?" – Tim Curtis, UNESCO

This blog post is a review and response to Chris Summers’ article, “Should shipwrecks be left alone?” from BBC News Magazine.

                 

            One of the first instances of archaeological ethics that Summers brings up is that of the British Department of Transport signing a deal with the salvage company Odyssey Marine Exploration to “excavate” the SS Gairsoppa. I put excavate in quotation marks because essentially the company was hired to salvage the tonnes of silver that were aboard the ship, amounting up to £150m. Summers explains that the British government will receive 20% of whatever Odyssey uncovers. I feel that this is in direct violation to the 2001 UNESCO Convention on the Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage, even though the UK has yet to ratify it. The British government is willingly allowing for profit to be made off of the selling of the artifacts uncovered from the ship, which is ethically wrong whether or not you are a signatory to the Convention.

The article makes mention that one of the greatest threats to un-excavated shipwrecks and sites is governments’ failures to police the industries that are threatening the archaeological sites. I think that governments should be ethically responsible for protecting these sites regardless of being a signatory to the Convention. I feel that all shipwrecks should be protected until they can be properly evaluated by a qualified archaeologist (not one employed by a salvage company).

 
               I think that the idea of creating living museums underwater is an excellent way to ensure that underwater sites are protected and that the public is being educated and made aware of the issues surrounding the protection and conservation of underwater wrecks and sites.

An Example of Good Archaeological Ethics

                                                   

This post shows contrast to that of my previous post, as it discusses how construction was actually halted due to the discovery of an archaeological site.

“We expected to find ruins from Ulpia Serdica, but not in such a good state of preservation and with the walls of buildings so intact” – Mario Ivanov, excavation director

In the Bulgarian capital of Sophia, before the construction of a new metro line, a large section of the center of the ancient Roman city of Ulpia Serdica has been uncovered. Some of the discoveries at Sophia include streets, a public bath with pools for cold and heated water, sewage canals, and spacious residences, many of which are decorated with colourful mosaics. 

Unlike the case of Friedenshuetten in Pennsylvania, the construction around Ulpia Serdica was stopped in order for archaeological exploration to be conducted. Not only was construction halted, but the ancient city’s remains will be preserved, structures supported and restored. The site is planned to be open to visitors by the end of 2013.

I think that this is a good example of proper archaeological ethics at work as construction was halted and the proper excavation of the site was able to be conducted without any further pressures. The halting of this construction has allowed for an amazing discovery and can now further serve as a tourist attraction for Bulgaria.

Information from: "Mosaics from Where East Met West", Matthew Brunwasser