Title: Valuing ancient things : archaeology and law /
Authors: Carman, John, 1952-
Publisher: Leicester University Press,
Year: 1996
Subjects: Archaeology Law and legislation Great Britain.
Abstract: This is the first full-scale study to explore the relationship between archaeology and English law. Challenging the common assumption that preservation by law is simply a matter of pragmatics, the author shows that the corpus of 'heritage' laws covering the cultural and natural environments operates as an important vector of moral and cultural change, elevating the object out of the everyday world and into the higher realm of the public domain. By investigating the origins and historical development of English heritage laws during and since the nineteenth century, the book traces the effect of these laws on the development of archaeology. In particular, it studies the operation of contemporary law on archaeological and natural material, providing a firm theoretical basis for studies in the field of archeological heritage management in the future.
Contents: 1. Archaeological heritage management and law -- 2. Value and law -- 3. Treasure Trove -- Theoretical Interlude -- Transformations: from archaeological object to museum treasure -- 4. A law for monuments -- Theoretical Interlude -- Political cultures and legislating for archaeology -- 5. A proliferation of laws -- 6. Selection under the law -- 7. Categorization under the law -- 8. Valuation under the law -- 9. Archaeology and the law: a summary and conclusions -- App. 1. Material protected by law -- App. 2. Legal categories -- App. 3. Ascribed values.