Respect for Te Dead

¶ … respect for the dead. There are four references used for this paper.

Today there are many ethical issues being discussed in terms of respect for the dead. It is important to examine some of these issues and the facts concerned with this subject.

Mummies

The burial sites of mummies are constantly being disturbed under the guise of studying the past. In 2003, German researchers disturbed a crypt of a 2,500-year-old mummy in Egypt, to obtain and analyze embalming material found at the site (http://media.dsc.discovery.com/news/briefs/20031027/mummies.html).

Egyptologists have been searching for years for the tomb of Queen Nefertiti, King Tutankhamun's step-mother and mother-in-law. These researchers believe they have found her mummy in the Valley of the Kings, and have disturbed the tomb in order to learn more about her life. According to records "little is known about the 'Great Royal Wife' of the renegade pharaoh Akhenaton, who ruled from 1353-1336 B.C. In the Amarna period. Along with her 'heretic' husband, Nefertiti vanished as if she had never been, and efforts were made to leave no records about her (http://dsc.discovery.com/news/briefs/20030602/nefertiti.html)."

The tomb she was lying in also contained two other mummies, which were all "uncoffined and unwrapped (http://dsc.discovery.com/news/briefs/20030602/nefertiti.html)." These bodies were examined in great detail by a number of scientists. The chest cavity of mummy that is possibly Nefertiti was examined with digital x-ray equipment, as well as the ripped-off arm of the body, further violating the integrity of the body.

These cases are proof that there is little regard for mummies, and although scientists claim they have a legitimate right to study these bodies in order to understand history, they actually illustrate their lack of respect for the dead. When these bodies were entombed, they were meant to be undisturbed, much as bodies buried today should be undisturbed.

Measures Being Taken

Some countries are taking measures to assure the dead are respected. In 1989, "the Vermillion Accord was adopted at the South Dakota WAC Inter-Congress (http://www.wac.uct.ac.za/archive/content/vermillion.accord.html)." This accord stated that "the mortal remains of the dead of all shall be respected, as well as their wishes concerning disposition (http://www.wac.uct.ac.za/archive/content/vermillion.accord.html)." The scientific community has to demonstrate respect for any remains, and must recognize any concerns of communities.

The Code of Ethics of the American Anthropological Association was adopted in 1998. This code includes provisions which state Anthropologists should "work for the long-term conservation of the archaeological, fossil, and historical records (http://library.lib.binghamton.edu/subjects/anthro/ethics.html)."