Archaeology as Public Service

This chapter examines the largest sector worldwide in which archaeologists find employment—heritage or cultural resource management. It examines the role of law and regulation and how and why archaeological material is subject to such controls, and what it means for archaeologists. The kinds of organisation providing work for archaeologists are considered, and the various roles archaeologists may perform. It addresses the idea of archaeology as a ‘public good’ and what this means for archaeologists, especially as an area where issues of ethics arise and where archaeology encounters and serves the interest of politics.