Archaeologist, Homeowner At Odds Over Spear Point

Malibu Times ^ | 3-28-2007 | Melonie Magruder

[Liberty Valance]

Big wampum


Time to smoke peace pipe.

[Arthalion]

I fail to see the controversy. The house will stand for what, 100, maybe 150 years before needing to be demolished? The property location is known, and I'm sure there willb e archaeologists around in the future to dig the site up. Parking a sensitive site under a slab-on-grade isn't going to hurt the site one bit.

[Coyoteman]

Most professionals are honorable. There are those that are not, and you probably have not been allowed into their confidence. But they are out there.

Every profession has them.

Only takes a minority to screw up the world.

I think the percentage of dishonorable archaeologists is lower than for most other fields; far lower than for lawyers and journalists. Again, I have never even heard rumors of planting artifacts at a site to fool somebody in 35 years of practice.

Since I saw this article I checked with some colleagues, and the point appears to be as claimed. This is a very interesting find which could certainly use more research.

[PzLdr]

If he can take it.

[Cold Heart]

I'm sorry you even thought of journalists or lawyers as being comparable to an archaeologists regarding honesty when I said professionals. My sincere apologies.
(there are some lawyers and journalists that I hold in high regard though)

The archaeologist in the article made some very questionable statements in reference to private rights. I have dealt with these people before. You really don't want to be their friends. They are out there in a minority. They disgrace whatever profession they are in just by their attitude.

Most of my encounters with government or non government biologists or archaeologists have been high points of my life. The few, the minority, the minuscule, encounters with the screwballs have been bad.

[ryan125]

thx for posting those links :)

[B4Ranch]

> It would have been nice if they had allowed someone to move the graves first! No one knows what happened to all the remains.<

And of course, anyone who does won't say. Nothing surprises me anymore.

[ken21]

i'll bet the archaeologist votes democrap and the homeowner pubbie!

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Blam. Whoops, added the Catastrophism keyword in error. [blush]

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[ken21]

thanks.

good read.

[piasa]

Stickel said the significance of the find is the American equivalent to that of finding the sealed door to King Tutankhamen's tomb.

Well in that case, why didn't Stickel get some like-minded friends together and start a fundraiser to get enough cash to persuade the homeowner to give them more time, or perhaps even enough to purchase the land outright? landowners can't be expected to put a hold on everything indefinitely when the costs to them increase with every delay, and free archeological labor doesn't compensate for any increase in the price of building materials incurred by delay.

All the whining probably made her nervous and fearful that any further finds would put her property rights at great risk. What did these academics do to alleviate her concerns? Not much, apparently. Requiring landowners to get surveys done for archeologically important sites is also going to negatively impact interest in aarcheology among the population. Having native American overseers looking on in the event a burial is uncovered is a farce given that there is no more verifiable connection between that overseer and the clovis culture than there is between the landowner and the clovis culture. It's that kind of requirement that makes landowners balk at allowing any dig to take place.

[piasa]

If there's a tiny little set of initials near the flute there I think we can find out who made it...

[SunkenCiv]

:') The story really gets to the point. [rimshot!]

[SunkenCiv]

The spearpoint's original owner:

[ApplegateRanch]

I take it you're not a Trekkie.

[ApplegateRanch]

I have been doing these types of archaeological studies for nearly 35 years and I have never heard even a hint of such a plant. The profession takes a very dim view of such things, and students are told early on that planting anything on a cultural site is not only not funny but will quickly end a budding career.

Too bad the eco-biologists aren't as scrupulously ethical.

However, in this case, I don't like the fact that it was the "N.A. monitor" who found it; not the professional, nor his team members.

[Coyoteman]

However, in this case, I don't like the fact that it was the "N.A. monitor" who found it; not the professional, nor his team members.

Excavations are often quite tedious. It is normal for a monitor to wander about a construction site while the archaeologists are working in their respective units. Many have developed eyes every bit as sharp as archaeologists, and its not unusual for them to make finds. A few monitors have been at it for as much as 30 years in some of the areas I have worked.

But it is most unusual for anyone to find a Clovis point on the California coast!

[Little Ray]

I wouldn't a put that in writin', anywhere, if'n I were you...

[Cowboy Bob]

Well...I'm glad someone appreciates my humor! ;0)

[Cowboy Bob]

I take it you're not a Trekkie.

Though I watched the original Star Trek as a kid (Doomsday Machine is my favorite episode), I don't consider myself a Trekkie. What is the reference to "Farpoint" in Star Trek?