The Protection of Archaeological Heritage in Times of Economic Crisis

Book excerpt: This volume brings together the proceedings of the conference “From past experience to new approaches and synergies: The future of protection management for archaeological heritage in times of economic crisis”, held in the new Acropolis Museum in Athens in 2012. The conference was organised by the Hellenic National Committee of the International Scientific Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) and the International Scientific Committee on Archaeological Heritage Management (ICAHM) ,with the participation of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM), the International Council of Museums (ICOM) and the International Committee on Risk Preparedness (ICORP). Special interest at the conference was directed to the Mediterranean region, as the area currently faces a variety of serious man-made and natural disasters. This book offers a collection of papers presented at the conference which examine existing experiences in various parts of the world, in order to offer solutions and new ways of managing the protection of cultural heritage, as well as sustaining the preservation of archaeological remains in times of economic crisis, which represents a major threat facing archaeological heritage worldwide. The current economic crisis has had a significant impact on various sectors of archaeological heritage management, and has affected the majority of tangible and intangible cultural assets. In this framework, some of the main themes that are addressed in this volume include: environmental harmonization; management and best practices in sustainability; management action plans; risk mitigation and confrontation; research in conservation; preservation and technologies; shelter protection; restoration, coordination and site use; illicit excavations and trafficking; protection of collections and movable finds; preservation of intangible heritage at sites and monuments; and heritage and the economy. The book offers useful documentation for maintaining high standards in the field of archaeological heritage, while searching for new ground for synergies and fresh initiatives, in order to confront the new challenges archaeology is currently facing, such as the economic crisis, a factor which is closely connected to the development of society and the sustainability of cultural property.