The life stories of people who lived long ago help us learn about our common heritage as human beings. Studying past cultures helps us understand how our own culture has developed, making us who we are today. Sometimes it is hard to remember that past people had the same feelings of happiness, sadness, worry, and excitement that people have today. Often the only way to learn about their lives is by the artifacts they leave behind. When archaeological sites are destroyed and artifacts are taken away, we lose the details of their life stories.
Every archaeological site is a nonrenewable resource .
This means that every site tells a different story and, if it is destroyed, cannot be replaced by another one exactly like it. Archaeological sites should be preserved so they can be properly studied by today's archaeologists or saved for future archaeologists. Since archaeology is, after all, a destructive process, some sites should be preserved simply because they are unique. Many people are interested in the past. They collect artifacts like pottery, arrowheads, or old bottles.