ENDANGERED ARCHAEOLOGY THREATS AND MITIGATION
Course objectives
The course of “Endangered Archaeology: threats and mitigation” aims to provide students with basic knowledge about the threats affecting archaeological sites and materials, and to review possible actions of risk and damage mitigation - both as preventive and corrective measures - adopted at national and international level. Looting excavations and the risks from war conflicts and ideological propaganda leading to destruction and illicit trafficking of archaeological materials are the most evident risk factors. However, long-term processes and deterioration issues due to natural and anthropogenic causes are also relevant. The course will allow the student to develop an improved autonomous judgement and personal sensibility toward the protection and prevention of risks for archaeological sites and materials. He/she can then decide to deepen further these issues during the Master program and then to make them a crucial aspect of his/her future work. The legislative and operative references will also provide him with the tools to develop collaborative and working paths within non-governmental organizations (NGOs) or international agencies active in the protection and conservation of archaeological heritage.
Channel 1
MARINA GALLINARO
Lecturers' profile
Program - Frequency - Exams
Course program
The course provides a broad overview and analysis of the threats on the archaeological landscape, sites and artefacts, and of the mitigation and risk reduction actions adopted at a national and international scale.
The course comprises three groups of lectures:
The first section will discuss the major risks to which archaeological sites and artefacts are exposed, due to natural and anthropogenic factors of varying intensity (rare, common events or cumulative processes). The second section will introduce the national and international institutions, governmental and non-governmental agencies, and organisations involved in protecting archaeological heritage. Legislative instruments, conventions, charters and international protocols will also be discussed.
The third section of the course will explore some case studies proposed by students.
Topics discussed:
- Archaeological risk assessment
- Conservation of archaeological landscapes, sites and objects
- Preventive Archaeology
- Climate change and archaeological sites
- Archaeology in conflict and post-conflict situations
- Looting and illegal trafficking of archaeological materials-Tourism and archaeological heritage
- Ethics of archaeology
Prerequisites
none prerequisite required
Books
Essential readings for each lecture will be detailed in the course syllabus. The syllabus will be available at the beginning of the course. The literature is here provided as a general reference for the topics discussed in the course.
Comer D. 2012. Tourism and Archaeological Heritage Management at Petra: Driver to Development or Destruction? SpringerBriefs in Archaeology.
Grove L. & Thomas S. (eds) 2014. Heritage Crime: Progress, Prospects and Prevention. Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke.
Jokilehto J. 2016. ICCROM and the Conservation of Cultural Heritage. A history of the organization’s first 50 years, 1959-2009. Conservation Studies Number 11.Meskell, L. 2018. A Future in Ruins: UNESCO, World Heritage, and the Dream of Peace. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Meskell, L. 2015. Global heritage: a reader. Wiley Blackwell.
Newson, P. & Young, R. (eds.) 2017. Post-Conflict Archaeology and Cultural Heritage: Rebuilding Knowledge, Memory and Community from War-Damaged Material Culture. Routledge. Smith C. (ed.) 2020. Encyclopedia of Global Archaeology. Springer - selected topics.
UNESCO 1972. Convention concerning the protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage. Paris: UNESCO.
Teaching mode
The course is taught through formal lectures, seminar-type discussions, and student presentations.
All lectures have recommended readings, which students will be expected to have done, to be able to follow and actively contribute to the discussion.
Frequency
in presence
Attendance is strictly recommended. Those unable to attend are asked to email the professor to arrange a program (marina.gallinaro@uniroma1.it)
Exam mode
- attendance, class participation, and active discussion (40% of grade)
- final presentation, a formal, conference-style, 20-minute presentation with PowerPoint (20% of grade),
- a paper (font: Arial, 11 pt, 1.5 line spacing + bibliographic references + 3-4 figures/tables) based on a case study (40% of grade)
Lesson mode
The course is taught through formal lectures, seminar-type discussions, and student presentations.
All lectures have recommended readings, which students will be expected to have done to be able to follow and actively contribute to the discussion.
MARINA GALLINARO
Lecturers' profile
Program - Frequency - Exams
Course program
The course provides a broad overview and analysis of the threats on the archaeological landscape, sites and artefacts, and of the mitigation and risk reduction actions adopted at a national and international scale.
The course comprises three groups of lectures:
The first section will discuss the major risks to which archaeological sites and artefacts are exposed, due to natural and anthropogenic factors of varying intensity (rare, common events or cumulative processes). The second section will introduce the national and international institutions, governmental and non-governmental agencies, and organisations involved in protecting archaeological heritage. Legislative instruments, conventions, charters and international protocols will also be discussed.
The third section of the course will explore some case studies proposed by students.
Topics discussed:
- Archaeological risk assessment
- Conservation of archaeological landscapes, sites and objects
- Preventive Archaeology
- Climate change and archaeological sites
- Archaeology in conflict and post-conflict situations
- Looting and illegal trafficking of archaeological materials-Tourism and archaeological heritage
- Ethics of archaeology
Prerequisites
none prerequisite required
Books
Essential readings for each lecture will be detailed in the course syllabus. The syllabus will be available at the beginning of the course. The literature is here provided as a general reference for the topics discussed in the course.
Comer D. 2012. Tourism and Archaeological Heritage Management at Petra: Driver to Development or Destruction? SpringerBriefs in Archaeology.
Grove L. & Thomas S. (eds) 2014. Heritage Crime: Progress, Prospects and Prevention. Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke.
Jokilehto J. 2016. ICCROM and the Conservation of Cultural Heritage. A history of the organization’s first 50 years, 1959-2009. Conservation Studies Number 11.Meskell, L. 2018. A Future in Ruins: UNESCO, World Heritage, and the Dream of Peace. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Meskell, L. 2015. Global heritage: a reader. Wiley Blackwell.
Newson, P. & Young, R. (eds.) 2017. Post-Conflict Archaeology and Cultural Heritage: Rebuilding Knowledge, Memory and Community from War-Damaged Material Culture. Routledge. Smith C. (ed.) 2020. Encyclopedia of Global Archaeology. Springer - selected topics.
UNESCO 1972. Convention concerning the protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage. Paris: UNESCO.
Teaching mode
The course is taught through formal lectures, seminar-type discussions, and student presentations.
All lectures have recommended readings, which students will be expected to have done, to be able to follow and actively contribute to the discussion.
Frequency
in presence
Attendance is strictly recommended. Those unable to attend are asked to email the professor to arrange a program (marina.gallinaro@uniroma1.it)
Exam mode
- attendance, class participation, and active discussion (40% of grade)
- final presentation, a formal, conference-style, 20-minute presentation with PowerPoint (20% of grade),
- a paper (font: Arial, 11 pt, 1.5 line spacing + bibliographic references + 3-4 figures/tables) based on a case study (40% of grade)
Lesson mode
The course is taught through formal lectures, seminar-type discussions, and student presentations.
All lectures have recommended readings, which students will be expected to have done to be able to follow and actively contribute to the discussion.
- Lesson code10598934
- Academic year2025/2026
- CourseMediterranean Archaeology
- CurriculumPaleolithic Archaeology ART-W (Percorso valido anche ai fini del conseguimento del titolo multiplo italo-francese-tedesco)
- Year1st year
- Semester2nd semester
- SSDL-ANT/01
- CFU6