We the members of ASOR affirm the priority of national antiquities authorities to manage and regulate cultural resources. As an organization of scholars devoted to recovery of the cultures of Middle and Near Eastern lands, we reaffirm the principles of scholarly integrity and ethics with respect to retrieval, preparation, preservation and timely publication of material remains, including texts.
1. Publication: Before assignment of finds to an excavator(s)/editor(s) by the responsible authorities (be they the licensed excavator(s) or the antiquities authority) and their scholarly advisors, these groups should determine what constitutes a reasonable time for publication. In the case of major finds, it is desirable that preliminary editions be promptly published. In the interval between assignment and publication, the excavator(s) or editor(s) should be encouraged to cooperate with interested scholarly parties.
2. Access: a. Recognizing that the responsible antiquities authorities and their scholarly advisors will be concerned with securing and preserving the finds, it is likely that scholarly access to the originals, after publication, will still be necessary. Such access will be regulated by the responsible antiquities authorities and their scholarly advisors. b. After the reasonable time limit (see no. 1 above) has passed, the materials, photographs, and documentation should be made generally accessible within the limits of the requirements for preservation and the laws of the host country.
