ARTIFACTS: Archaeologists don't collect or study artifacts because of their market value or because of the "thing" itself. We study artifacts because of the intangible, abstract value they have to tell us about human behavior. We collect things like broken risers, snapped gas tank tabs, and throw out bearings because of their inherent potential to be more than they are as discarded relics. We hang on to them because of their inherent value as symbols. Symbols of a life better lived on clear roads after the yearly Ice Age of the Rocky Mountains.
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