Artefact Hunting and Archaeological Responsibility

Front Matter banner/title page:  Archaeology and Responsible Artefact Collecting Introducing Tamara Kroftova Contents 1.0 Introduction   1.2: What is "Responsibility"?   1.3: The Problem   1.4: About this Resource   2.1: What is archaeology?   2.2: What archaeologists study   2.3: 'Digging Up Old Things' is not Archaeology   2.4: 'Collecting Old Things' is not Archaeology   2.5: Some Differences Between Archaeology and Relic Collecting   2.6: Artefacts and Archaeological Context   3.1: The Archaeological Record   3.2: Archaeological Context   3.3: Archaeological layers   3.4: 'Deposits'   3.5: Archaeological Sites   3.6 Topsoil Assemblages   3.7: Cultural Landscapes   4.1 What the archaeological record looks like in the Ground   4.2: How The Archaeological Record Forms   4.3: Worm Sinkage   4.4: 'One-Layer sites' 5.1: Artefact Hunting on Stratified Sites   5.2: Archaeological

While the main texts here were written by archaeologist and archaeoblogger Paul Barford , some of the texts below are additionally commented upon by guest blogger Tamara Prava-Kroftova, the estranged half-sister of the more famous Lara Croft. Both grew up fascinated by archaeology, but while Lara went on to engage in artefact hunting as a Tomb-Raider, Tamara married and wrote her doctorate on the 'The Methodology of Archaeological Research: The Didactic Aspects' and now lectures at the West Ukrainian University of Volodymyr-Volynsky. Tamara sometimes may sound harsh, but in fact is only saying what every self-respecting British archaeologist should be saying, and should have been saying all along, about the idea of responsible collection-driven exploitation of the archaeological record. Unfortunately I could not find a British archaeologist willing to take part in this project and had to look to the centre of Europe to find one to uphold professional standards and values.