Debate: Should we rebury artifacts after studying them or keep them in museums?

I was digging on a site near Tucson last fall and we found a whole set of pottery fragments from a Hohokam settlement. Took us 7 weeks to fully document and clean them. Now there's a split on our team. Half of us think they should go back in the ground with proper notes, to preserve them from weather and theft. The other half says put them in a local museum for people to see. I go back and forth. What do you all think? Have you dealt with this on your digs?

2 comments

2 Comments

charlesanderson20d ago

Are you worried they might get stolen if you leave them in the ground?

dylan_thompson20d ago

Man, I used to be totally against leaving stuff in the ground like that. A few years ago I would've said no way, someone's gonna dig it up or the weather will ruin it. But I saw a buddy leave a whole set of vintage tools buried on his property for months and they came out fine. Then I tried it myself with an old cast iron skillet I didn't want the kids to get into and honestly it worked great. Changed my whole view on it.