A number of scholarly and ethical problems involved in the study and publication of ancient artifacts are discussed in this essay. The scholarly peril of basing historical or cultural interpretations on artifacts of uncertain or unknown provenience is illustrated by examples from recent scholarship, and the limits of an artifact's capacity to communicate independently of its cultural context are assessed. The relationship between the antiquities market and scholarship is discussed in historical context, and the evolution over the past generation of related ethical and scholarly standards is considered.