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Encyclopedia of Global Archaeology pp 2453–2458Cite as

Ethics and Human Remains

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… due dignity and respect should be afforded in the recovery, storage, investigation and reburial of human remains regardless of their context (Hunter et al. 2001: 176).

Introduction

Most professions adhere to an agreed code of conduct, commonly referred to as a “code of ethics,” with the intention being that all practitioners should undertake “best practice.” In reality, however, definitions of “best practice” vary because different cultures, societies, and groups have diverse set of value systems, namely, their own definitions of what is considered right (appropriate) and wrong (Walker 2000: 20). Because of the emotive nature of death, the treatment of human remains is often contentious and poses many ethical dilemmas.

Definition

Ethics is a branch of philosophy concerned with the evaluation of the principles and standards of human conduct that govern the behavior of individuals and groups (Bottorff 2005).

Key Issues/Current Debates

Locating and Recovering Human Remains: Digging up...

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Forensic Medicine, Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine, Monash University, Southbank, VIC, Australia

    Soren Blau

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  1. Soren Blau
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Correspondence to Soren Blau .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Archaeology, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA, Australia

    Claire Smith

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Blau, S. (2014). Ethics and Human Remains. In: Smith, C. (eds) Encyclopedia of Global Archaeology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-0465-2_160

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-0465-2_160

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