Who Owns the Past?
Archaeology's evidence is finite, and everyone claims it: communities, states, museums, and collectors. Heritage management is the field where those claims collide.
A looted object survives, but its context does not. Looting converts evidence into decoration.
| Instrument | Year | Core Provision |
|---|---|---|
| Hague | 1954 | Protects cultural property in war |
| UNESCO | 1970 | Bars illicit import/export |
| World Heritage | 1972 | Sites of universal value |
| NAGPRA | 1990 | Returns Native American remains |
The 1970 UNESCO Convention is the bright line for acquisitions. NAGPRA recognized that descendant communities hold primary claims to ancestors.
The Hard Cases and Ethics
The Parthenon Marbles, Benin Bronzes, and human remains pose the central question: does past legality settle the matter, or does the descendant community's claim outrank current title?
Professional ethics forbid archaeologists from appraising unprovenienced material, ensuring expertise never serves the market.
Descendant communities have standing to speak for their ancestors. Consultation is not a mere courtesy; it is a fundamental condition of doing the work at all.
Where the discipline once asked what we may study, it now asks with whom.