Social value of archaeology

Many archaeologists in Portugal want maritime archaeology to be secret. Some say that they are against what they call spectacle archaeology. But if archaeology is secret, people don’t know about their cultural heritage, cannot enjoy it, will not ask politicians to protect it, and things are destroyed without even being studied. Being connected to the past, knowing one’s origins helps peoples navigate through difficult times. That is the importance of archaeology and history. Peoples without history live poorer lives and are barred from participating in their community cultural life.

Secrecy appears as abandonment to the population interested in the cultural heritage and invites personal explorations and collection of materials with archaeological interest.