Introduction

Archeology is a study which allows us the time travel. There was a time when archaeology was not taken on a serious note but now people do understand its importance. It takes us to the past like a story and very interestingly tells us about all that we have inherited from our ancestors, but are ignorant somewhere (Gamble, 2015)

When it comes to ethics various factors affect and hinders one’s morals. The question of ethics and its role in archaeology has triggered debates in recent years. The conception of value of archeology, responsibilities of researchers, concepts of stewardship and custodianship and the moral meaning and implication of heritage are few of the biggest concerns that one can deal while being ethical ( Scarre and Scarre, 2008). Though discussion of ethics are relatively new for professional archaeologist, philosophers have pondered human behavior for time immemorial. Typically using “morality” and “ethics” interchangeably, philosophers focus on norms- questions of “ought “and “should” (Vitelli et al., 2006).

Review of Literature

Larry Zimmerman (1995) discussed in his paper that when it comes to archaeology and excavation, ethics majorly comes from reburial issue. He majorly discussed and commented on the statements of stewardship and accountability. He further added that he doesn’t have contradicting opinion with the established principles of ethics in archaeology but rather want to look beyond it to understand the concept more deeply where we can find the reflection of our own discipline and morality.

Mark J. Lynott (1997) described principles of Ethics in Archaeology as pillars of Accountability, Stewardship, Commercialization, Intellectual Property, Public Education and Outreach, Public Reporting and Publication, Training and Resources and Records and Preservation. He further added that the mentioned principles will need frequent attention and periodic cognizance to meet the needs of archaeological practitioners.

Brooke Todsen (2007) discussed in his paper that Archaeologists also bear the moral contemplation of treating artifacts in the best possible way. Every respective locate comes with a specific series of trials, to which the evolving field of archaeological principles targets to handle morally. But leaving everything in situ doesn’t permit us extract knowledge from the primitive objects; what is the point of guarding the archaeological record if we cannot also learn from it? Though some artifacts gets demolished and not everything can be circulated or unearthed comprehensively, archaeologists are still capable of gathering fresh and exciting data every single day from the locates.

Liis Livin (2010) described that ethical principle of an archaeologist is a process of drafting, discussion, and development and correction of code of morals. He discussed some of the sensitive topics like excavation of burials and storage of human remains and also demonstrated human behavior towards excavation in his article. He emphasizes on the internalization of the rules and values as an important key to acknowledge the sense of professional attitude, he further added that it develops sense of sensitivity for codes that unites moral values.

Sharon N. DeWitte (2015) discussed that though we cannot deny that there have been a past of immoral gathering habits in archaeology however these problem do not characterize bio-archeology as a whole, in fact struggles in the last few years have been made to make sure that study is performed morally in the ground of anthropology.

Lorna-Jane Richardson (2018) mentioned ethical challenges in the field of digital archaeology and the concerns of the digital archaeologist. Existing ethical codes are based on an assumption that everyone working in this field of archaeology own the same cultural experiences and values, and all support the desire to safeguard archaeological material and locates with the ethical stance of the professional archaeologist primarily devoted to the conservation of archaeological knowledge above anything else. Distinctions are important to bear in mind while assessing ethical issues in digital public archaeology.