The
EAA Code of Practice
The
following text was approved by the members of the Association at the Annual
Business Meeting, held in Ravenna (Italy) on 27 September 1997.
Preamble
The archaeological heritage,
as defined in Article 1 of the 1992 European Convention on the Protection
of the Archaeological Heritage, is the heritage of all humankind. Archaeology
is the study and interpretation of that heritage for the benefit of society
as a whole. Archaeologists are the interpreters and stewards of that heritage
on behalf of their fellow men and women. The object of this Code is to
establish standards of conduct for the members of the European Association
of Archaeologists to follow in fulfilling their responsibilities, both
to the community and to their professional colleagues.
1.
Archaeologists and society
1.1 All archaeological work
should be carried out in the spirit of the
Charter for the management
of the archaeological heritage approved by ICOMOS (International Council
on Monuments and Sites) in 1990.
1.2 It is the duty of every
archaeologist to ensure the preservation of the archaeological heritage
by every legal means.
1.3 In achieving that end
archaeologists will take active steps to inform the general public at all
levels of the objectives and methods of archaeology in general and of individual
projects in particular, using all the communication techniques at their
disposal.
1.4 Where preservation is
impossible, archaeologists will ensure that investigations are carried
out to the highest professional standards.
1.5 In carrying out such
projects, archaeologists will wherever possible, and in accordance with
any contractual obligations that they may have entered into, carry out
prior evaluations of the ecological and social implications of their work
for local communities.
1.6 Archaeologists will not
engage in, or allow their names to be associated with, any form of activity
relating to the illicit trade in antiquities and works of art, covered
by the 1970 UNESCO Convention on the means of prohibiting and preventing
the illicit import, export, and transfer of ownership of cultural property.
1.7 Archaeologists will not
engage in, or allow their names to be associated with, any activity that
impacts the archaeological heritage which is carried out for commercial
profit which derives directly from or exploits the archaeological heritage
itself.
1.8 It is the responsibility
of archaeologists to draw the attention of the competent authorities to
threats to the archaeological heritage, including the plundering of sites
and monuments and illicit trade in antiquities, and to use all the means
at their disposal to ensure that action is taken in such cases by the competent
authorities.
2. Archaeologists
and the Profession
2.1 Archaeologists will carry
out their work to the highest standards recognised by their professional
peers.
2.2 Archaeologists have a
duty to keep themselves informed of developments in knowledge and methodology
relating to their field of specialisation and to techniques of fieldwork,
conservation, information dissemination, and related areas.
2.3 Archaeologists should
not undertake projects for which they are not adequately trained or prepared.
2.4 A research design should
be formulated as an essential prelude to all projects. Arrangements should
also be made before starting projects for the subsequent storage and curation
of finds, samples, and records in accessible public repositories (museums,
archive collections, etc).
2.5 Proper records, prepared
in a comprehensible and durable form, should be made of all archaeological
projects.
2.6 Adequate reports on all
projects should be prepared and made accessible to the archaeological community
as a whole with the minimum delay through appropriate conventional and/or
electronic publishing media, following an initial period
of confidentiality not exceeding
six calendar months.
2.7 Archaeologists will have
prior rights of publication in respect of projects for which they are responsible
for a reasonable period, not exceeding ten years. During this period they
will make their results as widely accessible as possible and will give
sympathetic consideration to requests for information from colleagues and
students, provided that these do not conflict with the primary right of
publication. When the ten-year period has expired, the records should be
freely available for analysis and publication by others.
2.8 Written permission must
be obtained for the use of original material and acknowledgement to the
source included in any publication.
2.9 In recruiting staff for
projects, archaeologists shall not practise any form of discrimination
based on sex, religion, age, race, disability, or sexual orientation.
2.10 The management of all
projects must respect national standards relating to conditions of employment
and safety.
Go to: EAA
Principles of Conduct for Contract Archaeology
  
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