“States where archeologists reported meth addicts looting sites, shaded in gray (18)”
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USA Today posted a new article on November 24th 2011 by Dan Vergano on the issues that American Archaeologists are having with methamphetamine addicts bent on looting dig sites and the dangers this poses.
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General Information About the Article
It is now brought to light that looting is not only a poor nation’s issues, but a global issue. Hobbyist “pot hunters” have always been a problem in
the U.S, but now anecdotal reports show that meth heads are a new worry for scholars. Archaeologist visit site during “field seasons” and about 79% of them reported looting at their site, in places ranging from Italy to Peru, and 24% were present when the looting was taking place (All this information as attained during a survey of 2,358 archaeologists). The U.S was alone in reporting that methamphetamine addicts were often responsible for looting, in 18 states. “A 2005 Bureau of Land Management report has noted “many” suspects arrested for thefts from federal archaeological sites also ran meth “labs”. And Archaeology Magazine in 2009 noted more reports of meth lab operators stealing Anasazi relics.”
Survey author Blythe Bowman Proulx of Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Va, gives an explanation of why this may be happening by saying that since meth labs are usually found in isolated areas which is similar to archaeological sites, geographical coincidence may explain the complaints. Repetitive behavior is a known trait of meth addicts and could find the act of digging at sites very soothing.
UCLA’s David Farabee has some skepticism about the “meth heads” reports. He claims that the survey has too low a response rate and that only 14 archaeologists who received the survey gave detailed descriptions of looting. “The provocative conclusions linking drugs and looting come from anecdotes,” Farabee says. “That’s not a solid foundation.”
LINK to USA Today’s article: http://content.usatoday.com/communities/sciencefair/post/2011/11/survey-meth-addicts-looting-us-archeological-sites/1
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My Own Thoughts and Ideas
I really do not see the correlation between using a drug and digging for artifacts. I think the whole idea of it being coincidence is a valid idea, unless there is some ancient meth that these guys are searching for at these sites. I do like how this article brings to light the idea the looting does not just happen in poor countries or to the site that have the best items. It happens all over the world and is a big problem for archaeologist and the world as a whole really. I mean we all lose out when something is taken from these sites and is not properly documented or put into museums for all to see. This is a very worn out topic on this blog, but it is something that is very personal to me, since it is one of the issues that bothers me the most in the field of archaeology. I do have to say that the idea of a meth looter is very dangerous, especially if they are hostile or angry. It makes the archaeologist’s job that much harder to not only to remove a person from a site, but one under the influence of a drug. So I do see the worry that archaeologists have with regards to a more hostile looter, especially in a place that sells guns to anyone with a licence. (P.S I dont think looters should really be shot, I just found the sign mentally relevent)
Archaeological Reflections 