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Context[edit]
Artefacts can come from any archaeological context or source such as:
Ethics[edit]
Artifact collecting and looting has sparked heavy debate in the archaeological realm. Looting in
archaeological terms is when artifacts are dug up from sites and collected in private or sold before
they are able to be excavated and analyzed through formal scientific archaeology. The debate is
centered around the difference in beliefs between collectors and archaeologists. Archaeologists are
focused on excavation, context and lab work when it comes to artifacts, while collectors are
motivated by varying personal desires. This brings many to ask themselves the archaeological
question, “Who owns the past?”[10]
There are also ethical issues over the display of artifacts in museums which have been taken from
other countries in questionable circumstances, for example the display of the Parthenon (Elgin)
Marbles by the British Museum.[11] The display of objects belonging to indigenous peoples of non-
European countries by European museums – particularly those taken during the European conquest
of Africa – has also raised ethical questions. Pan-African activists such as Mwazulu Diyabanza and
the Front Multi Culturel Anti-Spoliation (Multicultural Front Against Pillaging) have taken direct
action against European museums, aiming to restitute items they believe to belong to Africa.[12][13]