The CoMAS Project: New Materials and Tools for Improving the In situ Documentation, Restoration, and Conservation of Underwater Archaeological Remains

2016 ◽  
Vol 50 (4) ◽  
pp. 108-118 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabio Bruno ◽  
Maurizio Muzzupappa ◽  
Loris Barbieri ◽  
Alessandro Gallo ◽  
Gerardo Ritacco ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Heritage ◽  
Underwater Cultural Heritage ◽  
Ministry Of Education ◽  
Archaeological Remains ◽  
New Materials ◽  
Remotely Operated Vehicle ◽  
Unesco Convention ◽  
Innovative Materials ◽  
Cooperation System

AbstractOn November 2, 2001, the UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage provided a detailed state cooperation system and set out the basic principles for the protection of underwater cultural heritage. To date, the Convention has been ratified by 51 countries. One of the four main principles states that the In situ preservation of underwater cultural heritage should be considered as the first option before allowing or engaging in any further activities. In accordance with these principles and recommendations, in the last years many projects intended for developing and testing new techniques and tools to support In situ conservation of underwater archaeological remains have been funded and are now underway.This paper describes the contribution of the CoMAS project (In situ conservation planning of Underwater Archaeological Artifacts—<ext-link ext-link-type="uri" href="http://www.comasproject.eu">http://www.comasproject.eu</ext-link>), funded by the Italian Ministry of Education, Universities and Research (MIUR) and run by a partnership of private companies and public research centers. The CoMAS project aims at the development of new materials, techniques, and tools for the documentation, conservation, and restoration of underwater archaeological sites in their natural environment. The paper describes in detail the results achieved during the project in the development of innovative materials, mechatronic tools, and armed remotely operated vehicle systems that can efficiently support the restorers' work in all their activities for preserving underwater cultural heritage in its original location on the seafloor.

scholarly journals In-situ Preservation Sebagai Strategi Pengelolaan Peninggalan Arkeologi Bawah Air Indonesia

KALPATARU ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 53
Author(s):  
Agni Sesaria Mochtar
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Heritage ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Underwater Cultural Heritage ◽  
Archaeological Heritage ◽  
In Situ Preservation ◽  
2001 Unesco Convention ◽  
Unesco Convention ◽  
Descriptive Approach ◽  
Near Future

Abstract. Indonesia is a renowned country of its richness of underwater archaeological heritage. Abundant maritime cultural activities had provided data to reconstruct the ancient maritime glory. In the matter of fact, the efforts to reconstruct the history are still facing many challenges especially in the lack of main point of view in managing the heritage. Considering that the Indonesian underwater archaeological heritage is of international significance, this paper discusses the opportunity to implement in-situ preservation in managing underwater archaeological heritage in Indonesia, as it is recommended by the 2001 UNESCO Convention. Some issues in the management of underwater cultural heritage, including activities undertaken and related regulation, were discussed through a descriptive approach. This paper then shows that although Indonesia might not ratify the 2001 UNESCO Convention in the near future, in-situ preservation is an ideal strategy to manage the underwater cultural heritage and is applicable in Indonesia, subject to some adjustment of current regulations. Abstrak. Indonesia sangat kaya dengan peninggalan arkeologi bawah air. Berbagai aktivitas budaya maritim telah meninggalkan data yang melimpah untuk merekonstruksi sejarah bangsa ini. Pada kenyataannya, upaya rekonstruksi tersebut masih menghadapi banyak tantangan terutama dalam hal perbedaan sudut pandang pengelolaan tinggalan-tinggalan tersebut oleh para pihak pengelola. Mengingat bahwa peninggalan arkeologi bawah air di Indonesia tidak hanya memiliki signifikansi nasional, tapi juga regional bahkan internasional, kajian ini mengurai kemungkinan penerapan in-situ preservation, sebagaimana tercantum dalam Konvensi UNESCO tahun 2001, sebagai strategi pengelolaan peninggalan arkeologi bawah air Indonesia. Pendekatan deskriptif digunakan untuk menggambarkan permasalahan yang ada dan menunjukkan bahwa meskipun Indonesia belum dapat meratifikasi Konvensi UNESCO tahun 2001 dalam waktu dekat, in-situ preservation merupakan strategi ideal pengelolaan peninggalan arkeologi bawah air yang dapat diterapkan di Indonesia dengan melakukan penyesuaian regulasi yang berlaku.

Part II Substantive Aspects, Ch.13 Underwater Cultural Heritage

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
O’Keefe Patrick J
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Heritage ◽  
Legal System ◽  
Legal Framework ◽  
Underwater Cultural Heritage ◽  
Unesco Convention ◽  
Time Capsule ◽  
International Legal System ◽  
A Site

This chapter focuses on underwater cultural heritage. This form of heritage is important because it constitutes what has been called a ‘time capsule’—meaning everything on a site may well be as it was when it disappeared beneath the water’s surface. It may be the wreck of a ship, the remains of a town, or a prehistoric settlement where land has subsided. There is general agreement that what remains is important to humanity. As such, protection and preservation of the underwater cultural heritage is a significant objective of the international legal system. The UNESCO Convention of 2001 is illustrative of this. However, the Convention exists within the international political and legal framework. In negotiating it, States were constrained by what they felt this framework required. Many were prepared to be generous in how they interpreted those requirements—others not so. The result is a complex agreement requiring care in implementation.

Maritime Archaeology, the Dive Community, and Heritage Tourism

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arthur B. Cohn ◽  
Joanne M. Dennis
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Heritage ◽  
General Public ◽  
Heritage Tourism ◽  
Maritime Archaeology ◽  
Archaeological Site ◽  
Underwater Cultural Heritage ◽  
Remotely Operated Vehicle ◽  
The Public ◽  
Vehicle Technologies ◽  
Underwater Sites

In modern times, the development of new survey, navigation, diving, and remotely operated vehicle technologies have made the location, exploration, and excavation of historic shipwrecks feasible to the general public. The debate on the value of underwater cultural heritage is recent and the issues of protecting underwater sites are now accepted. The diving community has been engaged in this debate for several decades, and a wide variety of viewpoints have developed. Museums focusing on underwater cultural heritage serve as platforms to foster discussions on submerged cultural resource protection. As any archaeological site, shipwrecks excite the general public. While museums provide a venue to share the story of the wrecks, or the historical contexts in which they existed, there are multiple ways to share this information with the public that will allow them a first-hand experience with a shipwreck. This notion has given rise to the concept of heritage tourism.

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