ABSTRACT
Earlier, I said that archaeologists who don’t publish their results are no better than looters. As we see in the Chapter 12, failure to publish is also considered unethical. Why is publication of results such a big deal? Because, as I hope you remember from Chapter 5 on excavation, archaeologists destroy their data (the context between and among artifacts, ecofacts, and features) as they collect them, and it is incumbent upon all archaeologists to record and disseminate what they have destroyed. Without a clear and accessible documentary record, an excavated site no longer exists. With a clear published record, any interested scholars can go back to the site any time they choose and, indeed, re-create the site in their own living rooms if they want to.
