Questions about the ethical responsibilities of professional archaeologists are more pressing than ever, given the accelerating degradation of archaeological resources and the pressures brought to bear on their disposition by an increasingly diverse range of interest groups. In response to this, the Society for American Archaeology has initiated a process of review of its existing policies on professional responsibility and ethics. This project consists of a focused working conference that will bring together participants from a wide spectrum of archaeology and museum studies, who have been active on ethical issues in a range of contexts. The aim of the meeting is to set the framework for a process of wide consultation with members of this society and other interested and involved organizations and groups. The ultimate goal of this process is to formulate an updated and integrated set of ethics guidelines and a program of action that will help archaeologists fulfill responsibilities that they bear, not only to the discipline of archaeology and its scientific ideals, but also to non- archaeological interest groups and to the conservation of cultural resources.
