**PREFACE A**

**Jeremy A. Sabloff**

*\"Words, words, mere words, no matter from the heart.\"*

*William Shakespeare, Twelfth Night*

For years, archaeologists have lamented the looting and destruction of
archaeological sites and materials. The efforts of a number of dedicated
individuals including both professional and avocational archaeologists,
Native Americans, and elected officials, as well as small organizations
such as the American Society for Conservation Archaeology, have resulted
in some important laws and regulations that help to protect
archaeological resources on both the national and local levels. But in
spite of all this assiduous work, looting and destruction continue
unabated. Clearly, relatively small-scale attempts to change widespread
practices, no matter how well intentioned or how skillfully argued, are
simply not sufficient to bring these practices to a halt. Isolated
victories over the forces of depredation are legion, but, overall, the
defenders of the archaeological record appear to be losing the war.

Fortunately, in recent years, archaeologists have come to realize that
they must change their tactics if they are to turn the tide in the
preservation conflict. Informed by the successes of other
preservationists, such as those concerned with the general environment,
they have begun to adopt the successful tactics of group efforts and
public outreach. Federal archaeologists, state historic preservation
officers and state archaeologists, and the Society for American
Archaeology - the largest association of professional archaeologists
concerned with the archaeology of the Americas - have seen that if they
speak in concert within their own spheres and work together more broadly
on the preservation of the archaeological record, their chances of
success increase.

Moreover, archaeologists have perceived that their undertakings in the
realm of new legal means to combat looting will be of no avail without a
well-planned campaign of public education. Telling the general populace,
on one hand, and legislators, on the other, that ravagement of
archaeological sites was bad and should be stopped was not as
self-evident to their listeners as it was to them. Rhetoric alone
obviously was insufficient. Archaeologists realized that exhortation had
to be combined with clear, well-reasoned justifications.

Such a strategic shift, which is still underway, has not been as simple
and easy as it would appear it should be. Over the years, archaeologists
have become too accustomed to speaking to their colleagues, who do not
need to be persuaded about the unfortunate consequences of site
destruction. They are not used to regularly dealing with people who
disagree with their premises, nor with others who are completely
indifferent to the problems discussed and do not see them as moral
issues. In addition, many of their colleagues have looked down at
attempts to communicate with non-scholarly audiences. However, these
problems are not insurmountable and in the past few years have happily
begun to recede.

*Protecting the Past: Readings in Archaeological Resource Protection* is
a superb example of the new strategy in outreach and discusses some of
the recent successes in concerted action, many of the promising programs
to counter looting that are currently being implemented or contemplated,
and a few of the most difficult problems that still must be surmounted.
I am certain that this highly ambitious book will have a very positive
influence in such efforts, and I wish to congratulate and thank the
editors and authors for putting together such an exciting, useful
volume.