BURIAL ARCHAEOLOGY: REFLECTIONS ON THE LAW, POLICY AND ETHICS OF RESEARCH ON HUMAN REMAINS AND 'DIGGING THE DEAD'.

In this article, the author explores ethical, legal and policy questions regarding the practices of burial archaeology and research on human remains. Particular focus is paid to the processes by which human remains have ended up in the collections of museums. In addition, the author discusses how the law, archaeologists and the general public seem to differentiate between the ethical treatment of the recently dead and the ethical treatment of more ancient human remains.