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rmcquade's review against another edition
Can’t see this going anywhere besides saying you should leave artifacts alone multiple ways
envy4's review against another edition
4.0
It was an interesting look at how Americans treat history.
dangerousnerd's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
5.0
I love a book that makes you reconsider what you think you believe! I thought I knew what I thought about digging up archaeological remains (long influenced by a couple years doing so in college) but this book made me think about it in a whole new way. And his prose! It made me fall in love with the southwest all over again.
The line “I cry the whole time” killed me 😭
The line “I cry the whole time” killed me 😭
wyrdmedieval's review against another edition
3.0
As someone with an interest and a career in cultural heritage, this book was thought-provoking and, at times, infuriating, but I think that was the author's goal. The book provides an insight into the collection, plunder, sale, and gatekeeping of cultural heritage from the perspective of someone largely removed from the academic infrastructure that the author seems to believe is doing more harm than good in its efforts to preserve the past. The perspective mostly focuses on the archaeology of the Americas, but occasionally touches on other places where archaeological heritage is contested and largely excavated by those to whom the artifacts do not "belong;" I would be interested to learn whether and how these opinions would differ when looking at cultural heritage stewardship by and for locals and descendants of the material in question.
It's not the easiest to get through if you struggle to read about the many ways that history and heritage are damaged by passers-by, but I'll be thinking about some of the questions that the author raised for a while.
It's not the easiest to get through if you struggle to read about the many ways that history and heritage are damaged by passers-by, but I'll be thinking about some of the questions that the author raised for a while.
krism's review against another edition
3.0
The book brought up questions I hadn't thought about. To whom does, or should, ancient relics belong? When jewelry, pots, and other items are found in an ancient grave, should they be left alone because they had spiritual significance to the people who put them there? (And still have spiritual signifcance to the descendents?) Or, should they be removed and shared? And, shared where? A museum (most likely a museum warehouse) or in a private collector's collection? Was Indiana Jones a hero or a villian? This is a fairly short book and was worth the read.