A couple of nights ago, I was watching Bone Detectives on TV. This is a show about a man who travels around the world digging up bones from centuries past, to determine the cause of death.
As I was watching him and some Archaeologists dig, I began to wonder if this was right. Who did these people think they were? I mean they were digging up the dead and removing gifts and relics placed at the burial site.
I know in this age we consider this to be for learning purposes. To look into the past and try to understand and learn what happened to the civilizations before us. Maybe keep some of the same things from happening to us.
Anyway, all this was happening at a Mayan Civilization the had been wiped out by some unknown incident. And the boned that were dug up landed up being a Mayan warrior who was of higher Archy in the community. This man was buried a special way and given many gifts at his grave. As he was being dug up I couldn't help but think of what these people might be doing to him. Even though he is dead could their be a reason he was buried different (east to west rather than north to south)  and his bones scattered throughout the temple? What if this brings out some sort of awakening in spirits by digging them up? The dig just felt totally wrong to me.
So much was going through my head watching it. I got really upset and angry with the archaeologists. I thought about it all weekend and finally had to share my thoughts with you. I guess my morals go a little deeper than I thought!!

Sorry I had to vent 

I personally become literally sick if I am around death. My cat killed a bird the other day and I felt horrible the rest of the day after "disposing" it. I became ill after the wake of my grandfather years back. I think that burial, creamation, etc, is done for very good reasons, reasons that go beyond what most people are aware of in this day. I also feel that remains, whatever the person's stature in society was while they were in the body, are meant to stay buried. Traditional Navajos have strong beliefs around death. If a person dies in their hogan, they and the entire hogan are burned. Sometimes dying relatives are even taken to die in hospitals so the home will remain free of the entities that corpses may attract.

I feel that the knowledge gained by archaeological investigation is miniscule in comparison to the sanctity of a burial site.

While yes, archeology does stir incredible amounts of controversy as the ethics sometimes, are you aware of how often bones are actually found in an archaeological dig?

While yes, you hear about the graves more often, that's because finding bones and remains of people past is more exciting to a public and it's what gets people attention.

Take the site of Troy for instance.   From what I understand, no bodies/remains were ever found.   It was Troy...big deal.   So Mythos was proven to be fact.   But it didn't get half the attention that Pompei did.   Pompei had...well...had a rather gruesome grave for the dead.   But what kid in school hasn't heard about Pompei?   How many of you learned about Troy being found let alone that it was real in grade school?

Human beings are creatures of intense curiosity, emotion and habit.   If one skeleton can bring attention to one dig site, then it will to others.


(I studied Archeology for a long time...but the school I was going to told me that because I was female, that I couldn't do it properly.   Yeah right.)

Archaeology is one of those fence sitting occupations, it is sometimes difficult for one morally to think about disturbing one from their resting place. I can see this argument from both a moral and scientific stand point. I myself like Sacredsin am an aspiring Archaeologist and I feel that the knowledge that can be contained within these burials could be essential pieces of history and would benefit everyone better if they were studied rather than lost forever.

Another way to look at this. With the Earth as old as it is, every part of it could potentially be the final resting place for people and animals. There are potentially ancient civilizations we have not even discovered. So anyone could potentially be living on burial space of some sort. Which also could explain hauntings in places where there is no history to explain it. And entities that we don't understand. Not trying to turn this into a paranormal discussion. That is just how I see the Earth. There could be civilizations which are ancient to the oldest people we are aware of.

I appreciate your good will sent towards me alwaysnight, and I agree with you totally. Sometimes the lines between the spiritual and scientific blend and Archaeology is a career choice for those who can deal with some of the uncomfortable situations in these grey areas. I like to think that the specific care in which Archaeologists use on digs is enough to show respect to those who once inhabited the areas. An overly romantic idea maybe because I know sometimes special attention is not taken but for the most part I feel Archaeological specimens are treated with much respect.

You don't want to know what some people DID find under their floors. 
Not saying it is always bad.

Didn't mean to get up on a soap box in my previous post. Although when I hear of native peoples
having to ask museums for the return of ancestral remains or "artifacts," it does get me riled a bit. I'm really intensely curious about the ancient civilizations of this world. And the line between investigation and desecration will ever be a misty gray area with rarely a clear answer in sight.

So I throw my hands up and let the mist envelope me as it will.

Can you imagine the uproar if we Native Americans started digging up white burial grounds and put the bones in our museums to study? hmmm

It is a hard one I know.  I have an intense interest in Anthropology and I am part Native.  There is a bit of a conflict in me over this issue.