The 4th International Conference on Preserving Archaeological Remains In Situ (PARIS4): 23–26 May 2011, the National Museum of Denmark, Copenhagen (original) (raw)
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1 Outline and scope of this thesis 1.1 Aims and scopes of the study Since the adoption of the Malta Convention (Council of Europe 1992), the strategy of cultural heritage management in many countries has changed from ex situ to in situ preservation of archaeological remains. The question is whether this change in strategy increases the protection or the risk of losing the undocumented heritage it was meant to protect? The strategy puts a large responsibility on present and future generations, as the concept of in situ preservation implies that the heritage sites remain unchanged 'forever'. To ensure that in situ preservation may be considered a possibility, knowledge about the present state of preservation as well as the physical and chemical conditions for future preservation capacity is necessary. This accumulated knowledge is called environmental monitoring. The alternatives to in situ preservation are to simply let sites deteriorate and eventually disappear, or to preser...
Archäologische Denkmalpflege, 2018
Archaeological heritage management has long been based on a preference for the principle of preservation of archaeology in situ. While this principle is sound in theory, in practice, we frequently only achieve mere retention in situ: the archaeology is left where it is, unexcavated and unrecorded, but is not actually protected against most of the real and present dangers it faces. The situation is made worse by the fact that many of our heritage management laws, policies, and practices have made the principle of 'leaving it unexcavated' a disciplinary dogma, especially so in Austria and Germany. Instead of realistically assessing the likely future fates of archaeology merely retained in situ, any kind of archaeological fieldwork, whether invasive or non-invasive, is treated as undesirable by the national and state heritage agencies, even if conducted to professional standards. In this paper, I demonstrate that retention in situ does not lead to the best possible preservation of archaeology for future generations, but rather leads to near-total loss of most archaeology, especially archaeology in places where it is never threatened by development. I also demonstrate that the only real means of preserving archaeology as long as possible is not to retain in in situ, but to excavate as much and as rapidly as possible any archaeology which cannot actually be preserved in situ. By increasing the amount that is excavated, the likely gains in archaeological information saved from total loss is massive and would benefit the study of archaeology immensely. It is thus argued in this paper that there is an urgent need for significant change in archaeological heritage management law, policy, and practice. Since we cannot increase the amount we excavate arbitrarily due to the limited resources available to us, better preservation by professional record can only be achieved by training as many members of the interested public in archaeological skills. Once having received such training, anyone who wants to should be encouraged and given license to excavate any archaeology which cannot currently only be retained, but not actively preserved, in situ.
Studies in Archaeological Conservation
2020
Studies in Archaeological Conservation features a range of case studies that explore the techniques and approaches used in current conservation practice around the world and, taken together, provide a picture of present practice in some of the world-leading museums and heritage organisations. Archaeological excavations produce thousands of corroded and degraded fragments of metal, ceramic, and organic material that are transformed by archaeological conservators into the beautiful and informative objects that fill the cases of museums. The knowledge and expertise required to undertake this transformation is demonstrated within this book in a series of 26 fascinating case studies in archaeological conservation and artefact investigation, undertaken in laboratories around the world. These case studies are contextualised by a detailed introductory chapter, which explores the challenges presented by researching and conserving archaeological artefacts and details how the case studies illustrate the current state of the subject. Studies in Archaeological Conservation is the first book for over a quarter of a century to show the range and diversity of archaeological conservation, in this case through a series of case studies. As a result, the book will be of great interest to practising conservators, conservation students, and archaeologists around the world.
Archaeological resource management and preservation
It should be obvious to everybody working in archaeology today that the position of the discipline has gone through some rather drastic changes over the past 15 years or so. As the former Chief Archaeologist of English Heritage, Geoff Wainwright, put it in a lecture on The future of European Archaeology at the inaugural meeting of the Europae Archaeologiae Consilium few years ago: 'the central importance of cultural heritage for social and economic progress around the globe is increasingly recognised as a vital element in creating a different kind of world and as an essential building block in the social and economic well-being of people. Indeed, archaeology and its allied cultural-historical disciplines are more important than its practitioners care to admit. In Europe today we start from the proposition that we simply cannot have social and economic development without recognition of our cultural heritage and history. It is widely recognised by international bodies, national and local governments, the international world of commerce; academia; the media and non-governmental bodies that society cannot move forward into the future unless it understands and acknowledges the past from which we come. This view of the relationship between cultural heritage and socio-economic development is not controversial nor is it solely the view of an elitist practitioner. It is a view that will be found in towns and villages throughout Europe, who cherish their sense of place and provide the fuel for many debates regarding its future' (Wainwright 2000). Obviously, this perception of heritage is very much one of the 21 rst century and is rather different from the ideas about the role of cultural heritage that we grew up with. I assume that in retrospect, the adoption -in 1992 -of the European Convention on the Protection of the Archaeological Heritage, or the Malta Convention as it is better known, which has meanwhile been ratified by most European countries, will prove to have been a watershed, at least in Europe. It defines a standard for the management of archaeological properties and provides a frame of reference for countries that have not ratified the convention yet and also for countries outside Europe, where a comparable international standard is lacking.
In Situ Conservation of Cultural Heritage: Public, Professionals and Preservation
In situ preservation is increasingly being seen as a means to manage marine archaeological sites which, for economic reasons and current international trends favouring in situ preservation, are not excavated, raised and conserved. However, in situ preservation should not be a case of leaving a site where it is-out of sight, out of mind-and hoping that it will be there when archaeologists and conservators have the capacity, research questions and desire to investigate these finds, in the future. Five fundamental steps to ensure the successful and responsible in situ preservation of underwater archaeological sites are discussed: 1. The extent of the site to be preserved 2. The most significant physical, chemical and biological threats to the site 3. The types of materials present on the site and their state of preservation 4. Strategies to mitigate deterioration and stabilise the site from natural impacts 5. Subsequent monitoring of a site and implemented mitigation strategies An overview of research concerning wooden wrecks addressing these five points will briefly be presented in the paper.
Current Trends in Archaeological Heritage Preservation: National and International Perspectives
Oxford, BAR International Series 2741, 2015
This volume gathers most of the papers presented at the conference, and its publication is meant to disseminate to an audience as wide as possible the latest work of those working in the field and to promote the latest trends in the protection and management of the archaeological heritage. the international conference Current trends in archaeological heritage preservation: National and International Perspectives, which took place in Iași between the 6th and the 10th of November 2013. The event was organized by the Iași Institute of Archaeology in partnership with the European Association of Archaeologists, the ”Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University of Iași, the ”Moldova” National Museum Complex from Iași, and the National Museum of Romanian History from Bucharest. The conference was attended by over 50 experts in the protection and management of archaeological heritage from Germany, 10 Netherlands, Australia, USA, UK, Czech Republic, India, Azerbaijan, Portugal, Russia, Poland, Spain, Brazil, Romania, and Moldova. The conference’s goal was to share the experience and to discuss the actual situation in the field of archaeological heritage preservation in various countries. The notifications of the conference were focused on a plenary session, four workshops, an evaluation session, and a study visit to five heritage sites from Iași and Neamț counties.
EAC Occasional Paper No. 19 New Challenges Archaeological Heritage Management and the Archaeology of the 18th to 20th centuries, 2024
“Contemporary Archaeology” deals with sites, features and finds from the period after the beginning of industrialisation, obtained through excavation and documentation using techniques and methods applied in all fields of archaeology. The topic and the comparatively ‘young’ period in focus are not completely new for archaeological monument preservation, even if they are explicitly considered in only a relatively few monument protection laws. It has long been common practice in many places across Europe to protect, preserve, and research monuments of the recent past—simply because they are there. This is both a challenge and an opportunity for archaeological heritage management, considered in the 2023 EAC symposium papers. Archaeological heritage preservation gains weight because it is accompanied by a special interest from the public and, thus, can develop opportunities to participate in political education. The material remains of war and terror lead us to the limits of archaeology and beyond: they become evidence, crime scenes, and anchors for commemoration and political education.