There are thousands of archaeological sites on federal public lands in Alaska. These sites represent every period in Alaska's history and prehistory from the first Alaskans 11,500 years ago who hunted large ice age animals that are now extinct, to early whaling peoples, to nomadic caribou hunters, to Russian Americans and gold miners.
Archaeological sites are time capsules from the past.
They contain the keys to understanding old and sometimes forgotten cultures. Working together, archaeologists, the descendants of the people that left these remains behind, and the public can learn a tremendous amount from the scientific excavation and analysis of these sites. That is why archaeological sites, when they are found on federal public lands, are protected by law. The Archaeological Resources Protection Act makes it illegal to excavate, damage, remove, sell, or transport any archaeological resource located on federal public lands. This law also applies to material taken from non-federal lands in violation of state or local law and put into interstate or foreign commerce.