Mining firm Rio Tinto sorry for destroying Aboriginal caves (2020)

Re:Mining firm Rio Tinto sorry for destroying Aboriginal cav... by AlotOfReading on Wednesday July 28, 2021 @03:46PM (#27988818)

As a former archaeologist, we really don't care about random contextless artifacts. Legal or not, the stuff in your house would almost certainly not be useful for academic work. Please don't use us as an argument against antiquities laws, especially as most archaeologists are in favor of making them even stronger.

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Re:Mining firm Rio Tinto sorry for destroying Aboriginal cav... by unpopulropnions on Wednesday July 28, 2021 @03:55PM (#27988932)

> most archaeologists are in favor of making them even stronger.

Most archaelogists are public employees or employed by institutions dependent on public funds. This makes them more inclined to state intervention than the average citizen. Their paychecks literally depend on it.

> As a former archaeologist, we really don't care about random contextless artifacts.

Collectors do still value random artifacts, but a collection is much more valuable in context. A company that found such a site and could exploit it would be wise to hire archaeologists to improve the value of their property. You can sell the Crown Jewels for more than you can sell the individual jewels.

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Re:Mining firm Rio Tinto sorry for destroying Aboriginal cav... by AlotOfReading on Wednesday July 28, 2021 @04:07PM (#27989067)

In most western countries (especially the US and UK where I have experience), there is a thriving private archaeology industry. Perhaps that's not true in your country, but it's a pretty unfair dismissal regardless.

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Re:Mining firm Rio Tinto sorry for destroying Aboriginal cav... by unpopulropnions on Wednesday July 28, 2021 @04:20PM (#27989212)

I wrote "Most archaelogists", not all. Among the professionals, is that untrue or less than fair? If archaeology is predominantly a private industry I do need to update my priors.

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Re:Mining firm Rio Tinto sorry for destroying Aboriginal cav... by AlotOfReading on Wednesday July 28, 2021 @04:48PM (#27989520)

Yes, the largest sector by far is private. There aren't many publicly funded jobs (annually it's measured in low 3 digits) and the competition for them is fierce. Either way, the ethics are similar.

I don't intend to be dismissive in saying this, but the arguments that you're making are wildly off-base about the underlying subject. Moreover, archaeology for the sole purpose of increasing commercial value violates strong ethical norms.

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Re:Mining firm Rio Tinto sorry for destroying Aboriginal cav... by lupire on Wednesday July 28, 2021 @04:46PM (#27989492)

Lara Croft?

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Re:Mining firm Rio Tinto sorry for destroying Aboriginal cav... by AlotOfReading on Wednesday July 28, 2021 @04:53PM (#27989564)

Sadly much more boring. It's mostly the result of heritage laws that require archaeological experts to be involved in construction/development projects under certain conditions. We're usually involved as private contractors either in looking for things before/during construction or rescuing found sites.

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