Archaeological Resource Management provides an international comparison of the main practices involved in managing archaeological remains, especially their identification and recording, their evaluation for 'significance,' their preservation and their presentation to the public.
A collection of essays and reports examining key issues in conservation and management of archaeological sites. It is divided into parts that focuses on historical methods, concepts, and issues; conserving the archaeological resource; physical conservation of archaeological sites; the cultural values of archaeological sites; and site management.
By most estimates, as much as 90 percent of the archaeology done in the United States today is carried out in the field of cultural resource management. The contributors hope that this book will serve as an impetus in American archaeology for dialogue and debate on how to make CRM projects and programs yield both better archaeology and better public policy.
Archaeological sites around the world are threatened by forces including population growth, development, urbanization, pollution, tourism, vandalism and looting. Site management planning is emerging as a critical element not only for the conservation of this heritage, but also to address issues such as tourism and sustainable development. This book reports on the proceedings of a workshop held in Greece, where an international group of professionals gathered to discuss challenges faced by archaeological sites in the Mediterranean and to examine management planning methods that might generate effective conservation strategies.
This book undertakes a comparative study of the history and development of legislative and administrative systems in operation today for the protection of archaeological monuments. With the exception of Scandinavia and the United Kingdom, no country adopted a positive policy towards the protection and conservation of its archaeological and historical heritage until the twentieth century. Moreover, it was not until the middle of that century, under the threat of wholesale devastation from extensive schemes for social and economic development, that the accelerating disappearance of the sites and monuments of Antiquity became the object of intensive study and legislation. Since then systems of cultural resource management have developed throughout the world. A range of countries (from Europe, America, Asia and Africa) representing a diversity of political and ideological systems - capitalist, socialist and ex-colonial - have been selected as being broadly representative of the variety of these systems. The case studies have been written by distinguished archaeologists and provide critical evaluations of the objectives and shortcomings of these systems.
The relationship between archaeology and conservation has long been complex and, at times, challenging. Archaeologists are often seen as interested principally in excavation and research, while conservators are concerned mainly with stabilization and the prevention of deterioration. Yet it is often initial conservation in the field that determines the long-term survival and intelligibility of both moveable artifacts and fixed architectural features. This user-friendly guide to conservation practices on archaeological excavations covers both structures and artifacts, starting from the moment when they are uncovered. Individual chapters discuss excavation and conservation, environmental and soil issues, deterioration, identification and condition assessment, detachment and removal, initial cleaning, coverings and shelters, packing, and documentation. There are also eight appendixes. Geared primarily for professionals engaged in the physical practice of excavation, this book will also interest archaeologists, archaeological conservators, site managers, conservation scientists, museum curators, and students of archaeology and conservation.
Renowned cultural resource management consultant Thomas F. King demystifies this web of regulations surrounding this field, providing frank, practical advice on how to ensure regulatory compliance in dealing with archaeological sites, historic buildings, urban districts, sacred sites and objects, shipwrecks, and archives. In this new edition, King reports on changes in cultural resource laws, regulations, and executive orders in the past five years and adds material on Section 106 review, NEPA, and the 'Preserve America' executive order.
One of the greatest challenges faced today by those responsible for ancient cultural sites is that of maintaining the delicate balance between conserving these fragile resources and making them available to increasing numbers of visitors. Tourism, unchecked development, and changing environmental conditions threaten significant historical sites throughout the world. These issues are among the topics dealt with in this book, which reports on the proceedings of an international conference on the conservation of classical sites in the Mediterranean region, organized by the Getty Conservation Institute and the J. Paul Getty Museum. The book includes chapters discussing management issues at three sites: Piazza Armerina, Sicily; Knossos, Crete; and Ephesus, Turkey. While visiting these sites, conference participants examined how issues raised at these locales can illuminate the challenges of management and conservation faced by complex heritage sites the world over. Additional chapters discuss such topics as the management of cultural sites, the reconstruction of ancient buildings, and ways of presenting and interpreting sites for today's visitors.
Archaeology of Louisiana provides a groundbreaking and up-to-date overview of archaeology in the Bayou State, including a thorough analysis of the cultures, communities, and people of Louisiana from the Native Americans of 13,000 years ago to the modern historical archaeology of New Orleans. With eighteen chapters and twenty-seven distinguished contributors, Archaeology of Louisiana brings together the studies of some of the most respected archaeologists currently working in the state, collecting in a single volume a range of methods and theories to offer a comprehensive understanding of the latest archaeological findings. In the past two decades alone, much new data has transformed our knowledge of Louisiana’s history. This collection, accordingly, presents fresh perspectives based on current information, such as the discovery that Native Americans in Louisiana constructed some of the earliest-known monumental architecture in the world—extensive earthen mounds—during the Middle Archaic period (6000–2000 B.C.) Other contributors consider a variety of subjects, such as the development of complex societies without agriculture, underwater archaeology, the partnering of archaeologists with the Caddo Nation and descendant communities, and recent research in historical archaeology and cultural resource management that promises to transform our current appreciation of colonial Spanish, French, Creole, and African American experiences in the Lower Mississippi Valley. Accessible and engaging, Archaeology of Louisiana provides a complete and current archaeological reference to the state’s unique heritage and history.