ICAHM s 2012 Annual Meeting

Transcription

1 ICAHM News ICAHM s 2012 Annual Meeting IN THIS ISSUE 1 ICAHM s 2012 Annual Meeting ICAHM Business Meeting 2 Symposium on Maya Archaeological Heritage Management 3 Scenes From Cuzco 4 New ICAHM Publications Upcoming Events 5 NASA Space Archaeology Training Workshop 6 New Members ICAHM held its annual meeting and conference last November in the World Heritage city of Cuzco, Peru, focused on the theme of The UNESCO World Heritage Convention on its 40th anniversary. More than 200 participants from around the world attended the successful five-day event, which featured inaugural presentations by experts from the local Cuzco area, including the Mayor of Cuzco, Economista Luis Florez García; Rector of the National University of Cuzco, Dr. Germán Zecenarro Madueño; President of ICOMOS-Peru, Dr. Alberto Martorell; Director of the Museo Machu Picchu, Dr. Jean-Jacques Decoster; and performances by musician Sylvia Falcón. Following these addresses were keynote talks and more than 100 individual presentations. The presentations were organized around sessions and symposia on topics of prime importance to archaeological heritage management worldwide. Topics addressed included management and policy, Maya archaeological heritage management, technological approaches, conservation of material heritage, threats to archaeological sites, historic centers, management of archaeological heritage in Mexico, possible nominees to the World Heritage List, tourism, museums, and collections, and interpretation. Three ICAHM publications are planned based on these sessions. ICAHM Business Meeting Officers of ICAHM and attendees held the business meeting on 29 November In addition to reviewing and conducting the general business of the committee, several initiatives were discussed. These included the Africa Initiative to expand representation of African countries on the World Heritage List, development of the Menorca statement for best practices for management of archaeological sites, and potential initiatives in Korea and Beijing. Look for further information on these and other subjects forthcoming from ICAHM. ICOMOS INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE ON ARCHAEOLOGICAL HERITAGE MANAGEMENT 1

2 Symposium on Maya Archaeological Heritage Management By Charles Golden The symposium on Maya archaeological heritage management during the ICAHM annual meeting brought together a wide array of participants representing all levels of governmental and non-governmental organizations in Guatemala, Mexico, and Honduras. It was particularly informative and exciting to hear, for instance, how a local NGO might engage communities and private land-owners in heritage preservation in situations where national and international recognition at the level of listing on the World Heritage List is unlikely. Or to learn what role national and international NGOs could play as a supporter of the efforts of the government in Guatemala and international scholars to leverage and improve the efficacy of all stake-holders in the protection of patrimony. The participants all brought distinct perspectives to the forum, and yet common themes quickly emerged, ranging from illicit excavations and financial needs, to the difficulty and benefits of increasing community involvement, to the challenges of balancing the desire for access to sites by tourists and indigenous peoples against the potential damage caused by excessive numbers of visitors in sites lacking infrastructure to accommodate the influx. These last problems were unfortunately highlighted by damages to pyramids at the World Heritage site of Tikal, Guatemala by tourists hoping to participate in the experience of the changing Maya calendar cycles on December 21, It became clear in the course of the dialog that the symposium in Cuzco was an all too brief event, but it created a precedent for international and multi-level dialog that can hopefully be followed by meetings in other contexts and advance efforts to conserve the cultural patrimony of the Maya region. ICOMOS INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE ON ARCHAEOLOGICAL HERITAGE MANAGEMENT 2

3 Scenes From Cuzco Secretary-General Ian Lilley about to indulge in the local delicacy, baked guinea pig. ICOMOS INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE ON ARCHAEOLOGICAL HERITAGE MANAGEMENT 3

4 NEW ICAHM PUBLICATIONS SPRINGER BRIEFS IN ARCHAEOLOGICAL HERITAGE MANAGEMENT Several new titles are now available, including this one by Peter F. Biehl and Christopher Prescott, Heritage in the Context of Globalization: Europe and the Americas. Complete information about the series, as well as individual titles, can be viewed at the Springer website: Upcoming Events An ICOMOS ICIP-endorsed 4-day event Megalithic Sites and Monuments Interpretation and Outreach Best Practices Seminar We are delighted to announce that the long-anticipated "Seminar on Megalithic Sites and Monuments Interpretation and Outreach Best Practices" is planned for July 2013, at Salisbury, Wiltshire, England, to be hosted by English Heritage. Please note that participants are responsible for their own travel, accommodation, and subsistence. Meeting rooms and transport during local field trips and site visits will be furnished by English Heritage. Participant presentations will review and evaluate the current public interpretation strategies, techniques, programs, and exhibits at specified, publicly interpreted, Megalithic sites and monuments. Content of the presentations will include information about associated public interpretation delivery schemes, including guided talks, exhibits, tours, interpretative media, interpretative signs and panels, visitation traffic and pedestrian movement schemes, degree and nature of stakeholder involvement, long- and short-range interpretive plans, management plans, education activities, and public outreach. We would like each presenter to come prepared to discuss past and current challenges, as well as future perspectives, in the context of current policies for archaeological heritage management at national, regional, and agency levels. Participants in the seminar will include experts in the field of interpretation and outreach with extensive experience at Megalithic sites and monuments. The agenda includes: 1. Participant presentations (principally public interpretation and community outreach case studies and examples; what has worked and what has not worked, etc.); 2. Local site tours; 3. Participant breakout sessions on observed and proposed best practices; and 4. Making of breakout session critiques and reports. Following the seminar, an editorial panel will prepare an Interpretation Guidelines draft document, with references to the ICOMOS Charter principles, to be circulated for comment to the seminar participants. A revised draft will be circulated to the ICIP membership for comment, followed by preparation of the final draft document. The Interpretation Guidelines document is intended to be a dynamic instrument and major reference in planning future training workshops. The seminar and follow-up guidelines document can be seen as an experiment in the pooling of expertise in public interpretation applicable to multiple professional and interdisciplinary arenas both outside and inside ICOMOS. The discussions during the seminar, and resultant guidelines, will be tied to the ICOMOS Charter principles. The guidelines draft text will be vetted among the ICIP membership as well as relevant ICOMOS INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE ON ARCHAEOLOGICAL HERITAGE MANAGEMENT 4

5 ICOMOS national committees. The seminar and guidelines focus on Megalith sites affords an opportunity to make recommendations that can be applied to identified, real-world public interpretation situations and challenges relevant to the experiences of modern inhabitant communities. For more information contact ICIP VP and ICAHM member John Jameson at phone ICAHM-EAA Symposium ICAHM at the EAA Meeting ICAHM will co-sponsor a symposium with the EAA at their annual meeting, to be held in Pilsen, Czech Republic, 4 8 September Stay tuned for further information. Brief Report NASA Space Archaeology Training Workshop By Douglas C. Comer The third NASA Space Archaeology workshop was held at the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru in Lima, Peru, on the 1st and 2nd of December, This was the weekend after the ICAHM Conference held in Cuzco, during which a presentation on the NASA Space Archaeology Program attracted a great deal of interest. Douglas C. Comer, Ronald G. Blom, and Bruce D. Chapman led the workshop. The main topics covered in the workshop were: 1) the processes by which data are collected and the ways in which atmospheric conditions and development of imagery must be taken in to consideration when imagery is analyzed, 2) basic image correction, enhancement, and analysis approaches, 3) SAR technology and the software used to enhance and analyze SAR images, 4) how to obtain imagery of various types, and 5) examples of how satellite and aerial images have been used in archaeological research and heritage management. Approximately 40 students attended the workshop each day. All were extremely attentive. Most expressed great interest in the topics covered, the desire for more training, and the opportunity to apply what they learn to their own research and responsibilities. Attendees included both students and professors from Peru, Chile, Colombia, Germany, and France, and the Peruvian National Directors of Archaeology and Cultural Landscapes. Prof. Luis Jamie Castillo Butters, Chair of the Archaeology Department, who made local arrangements for the workshop, organized meetings on December 3 with the Dean of Letters and Human Sciences, Dr. Susan Reiz, and the Head of the Department of Humanities, Dr. Miguel Giusti. Both were eager to explore possibilities for a long-term working relationship that would include a training program. The program might include a weeklong workshop as well as training modules that students could access via the Internet. Following the example of a number of universities, the training could make use of simply videotaping lectures, providing study notes for each, and monthly on-line tests. The weeklong workshop would be attended by those who had successfully completed six months of the program. Prof. Castillo Butters told us that twice as many people had applied to the Dec. 1 and 2 workshop than he could accommodate. He suggested that the university might be able to cover travel expenses for instructors. Peru and more specifically the Pontifical Catholic University provides an attractive venue for a training program for several reasons. Peru has a rapidly growing economy (GDP per capita was less than $3,000/yr. in 1992 and is about $10,000/yr. today), which seems to have generated great interest in the use of advanced technologies. Remote sensing technologies would be useful in many fields (perhaps in particular, mining). Peru has an extraordinary number of archaeological sites, among the Moche and Nazca sites in the very dry deserts along the western coast. The desert environment is very suitable for the use of SAR. It is ICOMOS INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE ON ARCHAEOLOGICAL HERITAGE MANAGEMENT 5

6 worth noting that one of the speakers at the ICAHM Conference said that 90% of Moche sites might be lost over the next few decades because of development. The yearly deployment of UAVSAR to Chile offers the opportunity to collect SAR data that can be used in a training program. Finally, the Pontifical Catholic University has excellent facilities for a training program, and has expressed enthusiasm about hosting it. New Members ICAHM has welcomed many new members in the past year, and in particular, many people from South American countries have applied for ICOMOS and ICAHM membership since the conference this past November. We will introduce several new members in each issue of ICAHM News. If your name and professional information have not yet appeared, please be patient, as we aim to include each new member in future issues. Suvarna Jain I am a practicing conservation architect and have been actively involved in this field. I graduated from Pune University in 2004 and completed specialization in Architectural Conservation at the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi. I submitted my master s thesis on Cultural Landscape of Lonar, Conservation Management Plan. While practicing as an architect my interest and passion for conserving the invaluable traditional knowledge, cultural heritage like art, architecture, and archaeology of India led me to pursue a Diploma in Indology. I am professionally active and have been working on residential, institutional, and heritage conservation projects and am a Member of Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) and the South Asian Heritage Foundation (TSAHF). Academically I am associated with various colleges at Pune University as an assistant professor. I have successfully completed a detailed architectural documentation and condition assessment of a historically important region of Nasik district, which includes Archaeological Jain caves site having thousand year old temple caves within a unique landscape, as well as remarkable and notable sculptures. I have worked with Hampi World Heritage Area Management Authority in Hampi on the projects related to infrastructure development, IMP implementation, database preparation for inscriptions and few other projects as a conservation architect. Recently I presented papers at WAC- 7 on the Mangi Tungi- Sacred Natural Site and Lonar-Cultural Landscape. Geoffroy Heimlich Member of the French National Committee of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) and the Society of Africanist Archaeologists (SAfA), I am a PhD candidate in Archeology and History at the Centre d Etudes des Mondes Africains (University of Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne) and the Centre de Recherches en Archéologie et Patrimoine (Free University of Brussels), under the supervision of Jean-Loïc Le Quellec and Pierre de Maret. My research focuses on Lower Congo rock art. I am currently finishing my PhD dissertation, "The Rock Art of the Lovo Massif". I plan to defend it this year. Presently inhabited by the Ndibu, one of the Kongo subgroups, the Lovo Massif is situated north of the ancient Kongo kingdom. Although the Kongo kingdom after 1500 is one of the best-documented kingdoms in all Africa, from historical as well as both ethnographic and anthropological sources for more recent periods, it remains almost unknown archaeologically. With 102 sites (including 16 decorated caves), the Lovo Massif has the largest concentration of rock art in the entire region. Hundreds of limestone outcrops with carved surfaces, punctuated by numerous caves and rocky overhangs, rise up over an area of about 400 square kilometers. For further information, I recently published a web documentary on my archaeological research produced with Le Monde and Arte Radio: ICAHM News is a publication of ICAHM, the ICOMOS International Committee on Archaeological Heritage Management. Edited by Marni Blake Walter, ICAHM Communications Committee ICOMOS INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE ON ARCHAEOLOGICAL HERITAGE MANAGEMENT 6