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oanababy's review against another edition
2.0
Interesting perspective on archeology - but could have been more effective as an essay.
captaincoods's review against another edition
2.0
The subject of ethics in archaeology is fixed with stubbornness on both sides. I am trained in archaeology, so when I began this book I was expecting it to be wildly uninformed in the professional viewpoint. I was almost correct.
Just when the author appears to begin understanding the importance of context, he veers off into personal desires and "historicity". While Childs claims to know the importance of place, he continuously ignores its scientific benefits. The author seems to be fixed on the objects, not the context.
His degree of understanding in professional archaeology seems to be comparable to that friend from college who studied abroad for a couple weeks somewhere, then returns home claiming to know everything about the place. He has clearly had a taste of the scientific side of ethics, but no, I don't believe he understands it. If Childs did understand, i would hope he would not have portrayed many of the private collectors as he did in this book. I could go on forever about how dangerous this portrayal is to the already dismally uninformed public. But I wont. Childs is a good storyteller, but I would have rather him leave this subject alone.
Just when the author appears to begin understanding the importance of context, he veers off into personal desires and "historicity". While Childs claims to know the importance of place, he continuously ignores its scientific benefits. The author seems to be fixed on the objects, not the context.
His degree of understanding in professional archaeology seems to be comparable to that friend from college who studied abroad for a couple weeks somewhere, then returns home claiming to know everything about the place. He has clearly had a taste of the scientific side of ethics, but no, I don't believe he understands it. If Childs did understand, i would hope he would not have portrayed many of the private collectors as he did in this book. I could go on forever about how dangerous this portrayal is to the already dismally uninformed public. But I wont. Childs is a good storyteller, but I would have rather him leave this subject alone.
chronologically_charlie's review against another edition
3.75
Though I am conflicted by some of the opinions presented in this book, I recognize that the author did a great job of laying out the different perspectives on the topic. The question of ownership truly stands out and as an educator, it is a question that I find myself considering often.
The audiobook was well paced, but not always engaging. I sometimes found myself distracted.
The audiobook was well paced, but not always engaging. I sometimes found myself distracted.
newfgirl's review
4.0
As a future Archaeology student this book really has me thinking on 'ownership' of artifacts and the value of being able to learn from sites vs. items being locked away in storage sight unseen.
amanda_shelflove's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
reflective
fast-paced
3.5
This was an interesting and thought provoking book about the ethics of archaeology. Throughout the book, Childs shares his dilemma of how we handle artifacts of the past. Do we dig them up and keep them? Do we donate them to a museum? Do we give them to the ancestors of who made them? Or do we let them lie? Childs admittedly doesn’t have the answer himself or rather, it’s complicated.
It seems most archaeologists have their own moral standards they abide by which varies person to person. This book serves as an ethical prompt to the reader to decide what their moral standard is for digging up the past.
This book is filled with conundrums which I fully appreciated. It’s definitely something to ponder on. Childs brings up colonialism and its effects on ancient and modern cultures. He argues that we already have too many artifacts in museums and storage and to take items from their burial site is to take away their context. This book made me think a lot and made me interested in this kind of topic.
Some quotes from the book that I liked:
“We got what we came for. Evidence of the past that we could get up close to and surround with our senses.”
“You wouldn’t go and dig up a graveyard. And that’s what this is, a giant graveyard.”
“What is legal, allowable, or even ethical changes very quickly.”
mo_togo's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
seereeves's review
3.0
I folded over a lot of corners in this book because there was a story or a quote that I found particularly thought provoking. However, the book quickly becomes very repetitive. He makes his point very early on about how he feels about artifacts, his conflicting thoughts, his ambivalences, etc. Then he continues to belabor that point in between the little vignettes that I think are supposed to help illustrate his thoughts. Even the vignettes start to get repetitive after a while. Also, there is one detail included in the book that makes me question all the other details. He is talking in broad strokes of Mormon families picnicking in areas filled with potshards (or has he says potsherds) and arrowheads. He describes picnic blankets and shovels and then he throws in a thermos of coffee. They're Mormons. No coffee. Unless he is trying to highlight his view of their pot hunting as "illicit" by indicating they are doing other illicit things, he just screwed up and had a hypothetical Mormon family drinking coffee. So if he can't get that detail right, can I trust all the other details in the book?
jrpal's review against another edition
4.0
Interesting look at the complicated ethics of archeology, with a particular focus on the American Southwest.