American Archaeology | Summer 2012 | Vol. 16 No. 2

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Digging Up America

Joe Hernandez/ Spike TV

Former wrestler Ric Savage heads the cast of Spike TV’s American Digger.

The archaeological community is alarmed about the possible impact of two new realIty TV shows on cultural resources. By Wayne Curtis american archaeology

Ric Savage stands six-foot-five-inches tall and weighs 400 pounds. He’s bearded and 42-years old and for seven years he was a wrestler in the Balkanized professional wresting world before retiring from that life in 1997. He then pursued his long-time interest in treasure hunting —“I’ve been into history since I was nine years old,” he said—establishing American Savage, an artifact-hunting company based out of Mechanicsville, Virginia. Last March, Savage took on a new role, at least in eyes of the archaeological community: he became the evil

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