Dear Sue and Diane,

How long does a person have to be dead before it’s considered archeology instead of grave robbing?

                                                                                       Sincerely,
Definitely Not a Grave Robber, Yet

Thank you for the question!

We feel as though it should take around 900+ years for something to be archaeological.

But, according to a quick Google search and an immediate answer from Quora.com, it says the magic number is right around 100 years, which just seems like too little time has passed.

We do feel, however, that if the discovery is of great historical value, such as the discovery of the Mayan Temples, it would be fine if it was found within and around 100 years of it disappearing or going out of people’s thoughts. Granted, we have watched and read numerous things where characters are 900+ years old, which is probably leading us to our stance on how long it should take.

So, to be a grave robber, we mean an archaeologist, it requires permits to land as well as a degree in archaeology to be able to do anything regarding the remains of people, animals, etc. You could also take the non-legal route and just be a grave robber digging up any odd plot of land trying to find something that can get you money, but, that comes with great risk of jail time and fines as well as being despised and greatly disliked by the archaeological community.

Sincerely,

Sue and Diane