Register here - as a registered user you get more features and fewer ads.
An estimated 80 percent of the USA's ancient archaeological sites have been plundered or robbed by shovel-toting looters. Though some of the pillaging is done by amateurs who don't know any better, more serious damage is wrought by professionals who dig deep, sometimes even using backhoes.
The motive is money. Indian artifacts are coveted worldwide by collectors willing to pay for trophy pieces of the past.
Looters are just the first link in a chain that includes collectors, galleries, trade shows and Internet sites such as eBay. But stopping the black-market business is virtually impossible because of a lack of manpower for enforcement and loopholes in the law that make it hard to convict the few who get caught.
More:
http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,650210034,00.html
Something is not right. This message is just to keep things from messing up down the road