Open-Air Rock-Art Conservation and Management: State of the Art and Future Perspectives

Description

While much has been achieved in understanding and managing weather effects and erosion phenomena affecting ancient imagery within the relatively protected environments of caves and rock-shelters, the same cannot be said of rock-art panels situated in the open-air. Despite the fact that the number of known sites has risen dramatically in recent decades there are few examples in which the weathering and erosion dynamics are under investigation with a view to developing proposals to mitigate the impact of natural and cultural processes. Most of the work being done in different parts of the world appears to be ad-hoc, with minimal communication on such matters between teams and with the wider archaeological community. This richly illustrated book evaluates rock-art conservation in an holistic way, bringing together researchers from across the world to share experiences of work in progress or recently completed. The chapters focus on a series of key themes: documentation projects and resource assessments; the identification and impact assessment of weathering/erosion processes at work in open-air rock-art sites; the practicalities of potential or implemented conservation interventions; experimentation and monitoring programs; and general management issues connected with public presentation and the demands of ongoing research investigations. Consideration is given to the conservation of open-air rock-art imagery from many periods and cultural traditions across the Old and New Worlds. This timely volume will be of interest to conservators, managers, and researchers dealing with aesthetic and ethical issues as well as technical and practical matters regarding the conservation of open-air rock-art sites. Cover Title Copyright Contents List of Figures List of Tables Abbreviations and Acronyms Preface and Acknowledgements 1 Open-Air Rock-Art Preservation and Conservation: A Current State of Affairs 2 Approaches to the Conservation and Management of Open-Air Rock-Art Panels in England, United Kingdom 3 The Preservation and Care of Rock-Art in Changing Environments: A View from Northeastern England, United Kingdom 4 Pride and Prejudice: The Challenges of Conserving and Managing Rock-Art in the Landscape of Northern England, United Kingdom, through Public Participation 5 Irish Open-Air Rock-Art: Issues of Erosion and Management 6 The Open-Air Rock-Art Site at Leirfall, Central Norway, within the Context of Northern Scandinavian Rock-Art Conservation and Management Practices over the Past 50 Years 7 Experiences Documenting Petroglyphs at Lake Onega, Russia, 1998–2012 8 ‘Preservation by Record’: The Case from Eastern Scandinavia 9 Aspect and Rock-Art Conservation: Preliminary Meteorological Data Regarding the Côa Valley, Portugal, Open-Air Rock-Art Complex 10 Lonely Stones: Preservation of Megalithic Art in the Iberian Peninsula 11 The Conservation of Spanish Levantine Rock-Art in Aragón, Spain, Using 3-D Laser Scanning 12 Conservation Programs in Chaco Cultural National Historical Park, USA: Outgrowths and Consequences of Rock-Art Recording Projects 13 Managing Chaos: Vandalism Rock-Art at the Okotoks Erratic, Alberta, Canada 14 The Conservation Diagnostic Process in Colombian Rock-Art Research 15 Conservation of Rock-Art Sites in Northeastern Brazil 16 Past and Present, Traditional and Scientific: The Conservation and Management of Rock-Art Sites in Australia 17 Challenges of Conserving Rock-Art at the uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa 18 Non-invasive Methods for In-Situ Assessing and Monitoring of the Vulnerability of Rock-Art 19 Computer-Aided Simulation of Natural Erosion Processes on Rock-Art: A Mathematical Tool for Conservation Studies and Absolute Dating 20 Rock-Art: An Overview of Recent Developments and Initiatives by UNESCO and ICOMOS with Especial Reference to World Heritage Sites Contributors Index