Archaeology Ethics Dilemma

Now that you know a little more about what archaeologists do and how the past is preserved, read the dilemma below very carefully and choose a solution. 


Post your solution, and your reasoning for it, on this discussion board. 


Follow the discussion and respond at least two more times on the board for a total of three posts.


During the last several years, students at your school have worked hard to convince teachers and the principal that a swimming pool would be an excellent addition to the school's sports program. Pool construction has finally begun next to the playground and during the first day of soil removal, workers uncover the remains of a Late Woodland village site. The principal calls a meeting of the students to discuss the various options listed below. What would you do?

• Call a complete stop to the pool construction, since you cannot allow the present to destroy evidence of the past.
• Decide that many Late Woodland villages have been excavated already, so destroying this one won't matter.
• Notify archaeologists so they can excavate the site, even though this means waiting an extra year for the pool to be completed.
• Let pool construction continue, but first let students pick up visible artifacts to put in a display case at school.
• Do something else.

Source: Department of the Interior BLM, (1996).Intrigue of the past. Bureau of Land Management.