Archaeologists and historians may be worried about the effects that tomb robbers have on the practice of their trade today, though this phenomenon has been going on for much longer than most might think. Ever since ancient times, when things got hard it was often the habit of the desperate and poor to target the tombs of the better-off as a source of income. During particularly rough periods, the ruling governments would have few resources to devote toward maintaining their customary guard over these sites and consequently there would be little to stand in the way of thieves.
Though this may seem as if it disturbs archaeological integrity, in contrast to the damage that modern robberies cause these old acts of looting actually preserve a different kind of record - that of the actions of the lower classes taken against those of wealth and station. In some cases, entire groups of important bodies would be moved to other locations and placed together so that they could be protected from thieves. Some of these caches have been found by archaeologists today and give hints as to what sorts of problems were occurring at what times in the distant past.
Unfortunately, it also leaves other tombs unoccupied, which can sometimes obscure the archaeological record as historians seek to figure out whether bodies and treasures were moved thousands or only hundreds of years previous. Matching can be done through proper dating techniques, but unless both elements of the removal are found, the absence of a body may remain a mystery for decades.
Today, the problem of people looting tombs and other archaeological sites is a serious one. Perhaps in thousands of years, other archaeologists may look back and study the events that occur today, but for now it is more important that as much be preserved as possible. Still, poverty and/or greed are prime motivators for people to ignore the importance of history and steal away precious treasures, including many which contain major clues to the way past cultures lived and died. We have the power today to alleviate the causes which create these symptoms and more action can be taken to ensure that the troubles which caused looting in the past do not repeat themselves.