Digging context: An archaeological perspective

NPR's All Things Considered reported Wednesday that a two-year undercover sting aimed at a black market in ancient American Indian artifacts has led to federal indictments in Utah naming 24 people. Federal law prohibits the digging and selling of these artifacts on federal and tribal land.

I thought the perspective of the archaeologist interviewed about these thefts was interesting. He said that the artifact thieves "steal" the historic and cultural context of the items they take. In his words:

"When an artifact is detached from its story--it becomes just an object,"