Abstract
In response to a recent increase in treasure hunting ventures, and the ethical positions taken by professional archaeological associations, the Council of American Maritime Museums and the International Congress of Maritime Museums have developed specific guidelines and recommendations for the collecting and exhibiting of archaeological materials. In particular, objects from commercially exploited archaeological sites are prohibited, to reduce the market in these artifacts and prevent the perception that museums foster and/or condone the looting of archaeological shipwreck sites.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
American Association of Museums (AAM) 1987 Statement on H.R. 74, The Abandoned Shipwreck Act, 21 April 1987. Submitted by the American Association of Museums to the Subcommittee on Oceanography of the Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries, U.S. House of Representatives. (Serial Set No. 100–17:170–173.) U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC.
Beaudry, Mary C. 1988 Looting by Any Other Name: Archaeological Ethics and the Looting Problem. Society for Historical Archaeology Newsletter 23(1): 13–14.
Carrell, Toni L. 1988 Ethics vs. Commercial Exploitation: What’s It Worth to the Future? Paper presented at the 54th Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, Atlanta, Georgia.
Christie’s Amsterdam 1986 The Nanking Cargo, Chinese Export Porcelain and Gold. Christie’s Amsterdam B.V., Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Christie’s New York 1988 Gold and Silver of the Atocha and Santa Margarita. Christie’s, New York.
Colden, Anne 1990 Museum to Show Whydah Artifacts. Cape Cod Times, 3 December: 1.
Council of American Maritime Museums (CAMM) 1990 By-laws of the Council of American Maritime Museums, Inc. Article VI, Section 3: Archaeological Standards. Council of American Maritime Museums, Mystic, Connecticut.
Cummings, Calvin R. 1986 A Matter of Ethics. In Underwater Archaeology: The Proceedings of the Fourteenth Conference on Underwater Archaeology, edited by Calvin R. Cummings. Special Publication No. 7:v–x. Fathom Eight, San Marino, California.
1988 National Professional Standards and Guidelines for Underwater Archaeology. Underwater Archaeology Proceedings from the Society for Historical Archaeology Conference 1988:46–52. James P. Delgado, editor. Society for Historical Archaeology, California, Pennsylvania.
Elia, Ricardo J. 1990 Pirates Ahoy. Boston Globe, 10 September: 1.
Hamilton, Christopher E. 1989 The Need to Clarify Ethical Issues Related to the Whydah Project. Statement presented 5 January 1990 to the SHA Executive Committee at the Annual Meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology Conference on Historical and Underwater Archaeology, Phoenix, Arizona.
1990 Shipwrecks and the Private Sector. Paper presented at the 44th National Trust for Historic Preservation Conference, Session No. 2, Maritime Track, “Shipwrecks: Preservation, Ethics, and Economics,” Charleston, South Carolina.
Henderson, Graeme 1991 The Acquisition of Objects from Underwater Archaeological Sites. Draft Policy Statement and Report of the Subcommittee on Maritime Archaeology to the ICMM, 28 December 1990. Report on file with the author.
International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) 1990 Charter for the Protection and Management of the Archaeological Heritage. International Committee on Archaeological Heritage Management, ICOMOS, Washington, D.C.
Johnston, Paul F. 1989a Between the Devil and the Dark Blue Sea: Archaeology and the Council of American Maritime Museums. Underwater Archaeology Proceedings from the Society for Historical Archaeology Conference 1989: 148–149. J. Barto Arnold III, editor. Society for Historical Archaeology, California, Pennsylvania.
1989b Knowledge: The Real Treasure. Sea History 51:6–7.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Johnston, P.F. Is it treasure or a worthless piece of ship?. Hist Arch 26, 118–123 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03374520
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03374520