Lay of the Land

Joining Forces for Responsible Collecting

Archaeologists are learning much about early cultures by working to replicate ancient arts,crafts, and technologies.The cover feature in this issue of American Archaeology examines the progress experimental archaeologists and others are making in reproducing tools,pottery, and baskets.While telling us much about how early people lived and worked,there is another aspect that has far-reaching ramifications for historic preservation. Most of the artifacts now sold in shops and on the Internet are unceremoniously ripped from their context by professional looters,destroying sites in the process.

Craftsmen can now replicate the finest Clovis points and Anasazi pottery, which means that responsible collectors can now buy reproductions that are virtually indistinguishable from the originals.Artists like Clint Swink can make an “Anasazi”pot that is so good even an expert can’t tell it from an 800-year-old Mesa Verde vessel.They’re pieces everyone would be proud to have on their mantels,and their manufacture does no harm to our cultural resources.

A thriving market in high-quality, authentic replicas would diminish trade in the antiquities market,which drives the wholesale looting of ancient graves and villages.Artists and archaeologists should team up with dealers, museums,and national parks to promote a new business that will reward responsible collectors while protecting our national heritage.

MARK MICHEL President