Since 1970, the Council of the AIA--the Institute's largest and most representative governing body--has voted to adopt a series of ethical and publication resolutions and policies.

1. Resolutions on the Importation of Antiquities
   Resolution in support of the Draft UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property. Adopted by a vote of the AIA Council, December 30, 1970.


2. Resolution on the Acquisition of Antiquities by Museums
   Adopted by vote of the Council of the AIA, December 30, 1973.


3. Resolution on the Presentation of Undocumented Antiquities at the AIA's Annual Meeting
   Adopted by vote of the Council, December 30, 1973 and revised 2004. The full text of the amended resolution is provided here:

   The Annual Meeting may not serve for the announcement or initial scholarly presentation of any object in a public or private collection acquired after December 30, 1973, unless its existence can be documented prior to that date, or it was legally exported form the country of origin. An exception may be made by the Program for the Annual Meeting Committee if the presentation emphasizes the loss of archaeological context.

4. 1973 Annual Meeting Presentation Policy
   In 1978 the editors of the American Journal of Archaeology (AJA) adapted the 1973 Annual Meeting Presentation Policy to apply to articles published in the AJA. See Editorial Statement, AJA 82 (1978), p. 1. The policy has been clarified in the AJA 86 (1982), pp. 1-2; 94 (1990), pp. 525-527; and, most recently, in N.J. Norman, "Editorial Policy on the Publication of Recently Acquired Antiquities," AJA 109 (2005), pp. 135-136. Click here for a pdf version of this document. See also the Publications Policy for the AJA and ARCHAEOLOGY).
   
   The current text of the AJA publications policy as amended in 2004 reads:

   As a publication of the Archaeological Institute of America, AJA will not serve for the announcement or initial scholarly presentation of any object in a private or public collection acquired after December 30, 1973, unless its existence is documented before that date, or it was legally exported from the country of origin. An exception may be made if, in the view of the Editor, the aim of publication is to emphasize the loss of archaeological context. Reviews of exhibitions, catalogues, or publications that do not follow these guidelines should state that the exhibition or publication in question includes material without known archaeological findspot.
   
   At no time was an attempt made to "blame the object" or to prevent the scholarly discussion of archaeological objects or materials already in the scholarly record. In the words of Naomi Norman, current Editor-in-Chief of the AJA, "The clear intent of the policy was not to enhance the market value or importance of these objects by giving them the imprimatur of the AIA by publishing them for the first time in the AJA..." In clarification of the modified policy she stated, "The intent here is to keep the checkered past of an object out in the open and part of the continuing scholarly discussion of that piece (emphasis added). All too often, once a piece gets 'proper scholarly presentation' and the debate begins, scholars forget that the object is without archaeological context and may have come to the market illegally...The point is to remind us all of how much information and value is lost when an object is illegally removed from its archaeological context," (AJA 109, 2005, p. 136).

5. Code of Ethics (PDF)
   On December 29,1990 the AIA Council voted to adopt a Code of Ethics. The Code was amended at the Council meeting of December 29, 1997 and now reads:

   The Archaeological Institute of America is dedicated to the greater understanding of archaeology, to the protection and preservation of the world's archaeological resources and the information they contain, and to the encouragement and support of archaeological research and publication. In accordance with these principles, members of the AIA should:
   
   

   • Seek to ensure that the exploration of archaeological sites be conducted according to the highest standards under the direct supervision of qualified personnel, and that the results of such research be made public;
   
   
   • Refuse to participate in the trade in undocumented antiquities and refrain from activities that enhance the commercial value of such objects. Undocumented antiquities are those which are not documented as belonging to a public or private collection before December 30, 1970, when the AIA Council endorsed the UNESCO Convention on Cultural Property, or which have not been excavated and exported from the country of origin in accordance with the laws of that country;
   
   
   • Inform appropriate authorities of threats to, or plunder of archaeological sites, and illegal import or export of archaeological material.
   
   

6. Code of Professional Standards (PDF)
   A Code of Professional Standards applying to AIA's professional members was adopted by vote of the Council on December 29, 1994 and amended on December 29, 1997. Among other things, this Code states: "Professional archaeologists should adhere to the Guidelines of the AIA general Code of Ethics concerning illegal antiquities in their research and publication."

It should be noted that neither the general Code of Ethics nor the Code of Professional Standards constitute "rules" that the membership "must" follow. They are rather guidelines for ethical behavior and statements of responsibility to the archaeological record.

AIA Response to New Museum Acquisition Guidelines (PDF)
The AIA applauds the AAMD's revision of its Report and Guidelines on the Acquisition of Archaeological Materials and Ancient Art released on June 4. These new guidelines incorporate many principles that the AIA has long advocated. Among these are requirements that a museum publish its acquisition policy, and that information regarding any new acquisition, including both provenance background and an image, be made publicly accessible. The AAMD Report also acknowledges that museums have an obligation not to acquire antiquities in a way that will provide a direct and material incentive to looting, and that increased cooperation with countries of origin is the way to achieve both protection of archaeological sites and the continued collecting of antiquities in a responsible manner. Finally, and most importantly, the AAMD has now accepted the standard of 1970 (the date of completion of the 1970 UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property) as a fixed cut-off date for determining whether an undocumented work of ancient art or artifact can be acquired.

Coins and Archaeology
Since their first invention in western Turkey in the late seventh century B.C., coins have been struck in precious metals and copper alloys, and since that time they have been lost, buried in hoards, placed in graves, or otherwise left behind for archaeologists to find. When coins are found as part of a scientific excavation, they can make an immense contribution to our understanding of ancient society. In this effort, numismatists and archaeologists can work hand in hand, facilitating discoveries and interpretations that neither discipline could produce in isolation.

International Agreement to Combat Looting
An unprecedented international agreement to combat the destruction of the archaeological record and the depredations caused by looting and the illegal trade in undocumented antiquities was signed at the Annual Meeting by the AIA, German Archaeological Institute, and the Institute of Archaeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences.