The material found on a dig belongs to every person in Alabama. For example, the objects in a museum display case are there for everyone to see and learn about. If archaeologists kept everything they found, they would be the only ones to know the story behind the object. Archaeologists want to share their discoveries with everyone. Sometimes archaeologists do find human burials, but they are not interested in just bones.
Archaeologists are interested in discovering a bygone people's culture, technology, and behavior.
Burials often do not show all of this information. In most states, including Alabama, there are strict laws that prevent people, including archaeologists, from digging up graves without having a very good reason to do so. Archaeologists do not spend all of their time digging. All of the material found on a dig must be washed, catalogued, and studied. The final and most important step of any dig is for archaeologists to write about what they find and learn.