首页
登录
职称英语
Archaeology as a profession faces two major problems. First, it is the poores
Archaeology as a profession faces two major problems. First, it is the poores
游客
2023-12-23
68
管理
问题
Archaeology as a profession faces two major problems. First, it is the poorest of the poor. Only trifling sums are available for excavating and even less is available for publishing the results and preserving the sites once excavated. Yet archaeologists deal with priceless objects every day. Second, there is the problem of illegal excavation, resulting in museum- quality pieces being sold to the highest bidder.
I would like to make an outrageous suggestion that would at one stroke provide funds for archaeology and reduce the amount of illegal digging. I would propose that scientific archeological expeditions and governmental authorities sell excavated artifacts on the open market. Such sales would provide substantial funds for the excavation and preservation of archaeological sites and the publication of results. At the same time, they would break the illegal excavator’s grip on the market, thereby decreasing the inducement to engage in illegal activities.
You might object that professionals excavate to acquire knowledge, not money. Moreover, ancient artifacts are part of our global cultural heritage, which should be available for all to appreciate, not sold to the highest bidder. I agree. Sell nothing that has unique artistic merit or scientific value. But, you might reply, everything that comes out of the ground has scientific value. Here we part company. Theoretically, you may be correct in claiming that every artifact has potential scientific value. Practically, you are wrong.
I refer to the thousands of pottery vessels and ancient lamps that are essentially duplicates of one another. In one small excavation in Cyprus, archaeologists recently uncovered 2,000 virtually indistinguishable small jugs in a single courtyard. Even precious royal seal impressions known as melekh handles have been found in abundance—more than 4,000 examples so far.
The basements of museums are simply not large enough to store the artifacts that are likely to be discovered in the future. There is not enough money even to catalogue the finds; as a result, they cannot be found again and become as inaccessible as if they had never been discovered. Indeed, with the help of a computer, sold artifacts could be more accessible than are the pieces stored in bulging museum basements. Prior to sale, each could be photographed and the list of the purchasers could be maintained on the computer. A purchaser could even be required to agree to return the piece if it should become needed for scientific purposes.
It would be unrealistic to suggest that illegal digging would stop if artifacts were sold on the open market. But the demand for the clandestine product would be substantially reduced. Who would want an unmarked pot when another was available whose provenance was known, and that was dated stratigraphically by the professional archaeologist who excavated it? [br] Which of the following is mentioned in the passage as a disadvantage of storing artifacts in museum basements?
选项
A、Museum officials rarely allow scholars access to such artifacts.
B、Space that could be better used for display is taken up for storage.
C、Such artifacts are often damaged by variations in temperature and humidity.
D、Such artifacts often remain uncatalogued and thus cannot be located once they are put in storage.
答案
D
解析
转载请注明原文地址:https://tihaiku.com/zcyy/3299477.html
相关试题推荐
[originaltext]MostAmericanworkers,especiallythoseinprofessionaloccup
Professionallanguagetranslatorslaborinabusinessthatisunorganizedand
Professionallanguagetranslatorslaborinabusinessthatisunorganizedand
Archaeologyasaprofessionfacestwomajorproblems.First,itisthepoores
Archaeologyasaprofessionfacestwomajorproblems.First,itisthepoores
[originaltext]Insomeprofessions,suchasdesigning,translatingandcomput
Weholdcertainprofessionstoahigherstandardwhenitcomestothemental
Weholdcertainprofessionstoahigherstandardwhenitcomestothemental
Weholdcertainprofessionstoahigherstandardwhenitcomestothemental
Weholdcertainprofessionstoahigherstandardwhenitcomestothemental
随机试题
Aconsiderableamountofworkinlinguisticshasgoneinlooking【S1】______a
Today,thereisnosuchthingasa"typical"collegestudent.Peopleofall
Vibrationsinthegroundareapoorlyunderstoodbutprobablywidespreadmea
记账凭证中不可能有()。A.接受单位的名称 B.记账凭证的编号 C.记账凭证
用于桥梁工程的石料单轴抗压强度试验,试件的规格是()A.70mm±2mm;
下列关于行业生命周期的说法中,正确的有()。 Ⅰ.处于衰退期的行业可能
给定需求函数P=2000-100Y,成本函数C=1000+4Y,下列说法正确的是
《教育法》确定的我国德育教育工作的内容包括爱国主义、集体主义、社会主义的教育,但
(____)是指设备检修试验后,依据设备最新检修及试验相关信息对设备进行的状态评
下列关于公积金个人住房贷款贷款额度的说法,正确的有( )。A.一般购买普通商品房
最新回复
(
0
)