Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Grave goods: How to reconcile archaeology with suburban growth
Under Utah law developers are under no obligation to preserve, or even reveal the existence of, archaeological remains. Work is supposed to stop if human remains are discovered, but only for a few days. Even this modest law may be widely flouted. Kevin Jones, the state archaeologist, says many developers believe the discovery of bones will lead to the state or an Indian tribe seizing private land. Fearing that, some will probably order the bulldozers quietly to bury what they unearth.

Yet this is beginning to change.