PREVENTIVE ARCHAEOLOGY

This module is designed to familiarize with the principles and practices of archaeological heritage management to protect archaeological heritage resources in the face of threat. The emphasis is on rescue or salvage archaeology. The course discusses – at Italian and European level - the threats of archaeological and cultural heritage such as urban development, large-scale agriculture, mining activity, looting, erosion or unsustainable visitor numbers and it indicates the possible ways to avoid or at least to minimize the impacts of these development activities on heritage properties.
Rescue archaeology, sometimes called preventive archaeology (salvage archaeology and commercial archaeology also) is a contracted archaeology, often state controlled, for-profit archaeological survey and excavation carried out in advance of construction or other land development. The course will analyze the legal background, the conceptual framework discussing notions such us: Archaeological Risk, Cultural Heritage Management, Archaeological Heritage property.

- Be acquainted with the principles of heritage management in general and archaeological heritage management in particular;
- Be acquainted with the principles of heritage management in Italy;
- Identify the threats of heritage resources in general and archaeological heritage
- resources in particular;
- Be experienced with the Italian system of preventive archaeology;
- Be experienced with designing measures to protect monuments, sites, cultural environments and other archaeological heritage resources.

- General knowledge of Archaeology;
- Having taken “Methods for Archaeology” exam

1. Lesson 1
Introduction, Preventive Archaeology and Quality Management in Archaeology

* Introduction
* Brainstorming
* The Concept of Preventive Archaeology and “Quality Management in Archaeology”

2. Lesson 2
From the Malta Convention (1992) to the Italian Legislative Framework for Preventive Archaeology

* Italy: the legislative context, from the “European Convention on the Protection of the Archaeological Heritage, done at Valletta on 16 January 1992 (Malta Convention)” to Law 57/2015.
* Italy: Legislative Decree No. 42 of 22 January 2004 (Code of Cultural Heritage and Landscape, Article 10 of Law No. 137 of 6 July 2002).
* Italy: Legislative Decree No. 163 of 12 April 2006 (Public Contracts Code relating to works, services and supplies, implementing Directives 2004/17/EC and 2004/18/EC).
* Italy: Legislative Decree No. 36 of 31 March 2023 (Public Contracts Code relating to works, services and supplies, implementing Article 1 of Law No. 78 of 21 June 2022).
* Italy: the archaeological profession (Law 110/2014).

3. Lesson 3
Rescue Archaeology, Salvage Archaeology and Quality Management in Archaeology Abroad

* France
* The Netherlands
* Germany
* United Kingdom and Ireland
* United States of America
* Sweden and the Scandinavian countries

4. Lesson 4
Cultural Heritage, Communities and Archaeology

* Material culture, memory and identity
* Communities and museums
* The digital era

5. Lesson 5
The Preventive Verification Procedure in Italy: from VIArch to VPIA

* The document
* Requirements and prescriptions
* Working method
* Ethical and implementation issues

6. Lesson 6
Archaeological Risk

* Risk and heritage protection management
* Ethics and sustainability in archaeology

7. Lesson 7
Preventive Archaeology in Practice

* Preventive Archaeology in Practice: the Veneto case study
* Discussion with professionals and public officials working in the sector

8–10. Lessons 8–10
Preventive Archaeology: Data Transmission and Encoding according to ICA Standards

* Guidelines
* The ICA geoportal
* Practical session: uploading data to the portal using QGIS tools

The study paper will be upload regularly on Moodle space.
General bibliographic references:
- Manuale di Archeologia Preventiva, Normative e procedure operative, G. Galasso, 2023
- Archeologia Preventiva, Il Codice Appalti e la gestione del Rischio Archeologico, P. Güll, Palermo, 2015;
- Heritages Communities and Archaeology, L. Smith, E. Waterton (eds.), London 2009;
- Quality Management in Arcaheology, W. J. H. Willems, M. H. van den Dries (eds), Oxford 2007;

Online test on Moodle platform, due the last lesson. Other test dates should be negotiated with the teacher.

written

The instructor is responsible for ensuring the authenticity and originality of all examinations and coursework. In cases of suspected academic misconduct, an additional on-site assessment may be required during the exams, which may differ from the standard format.

With regard to grading, the module does not include a mark in the strict sense, but only a pass/fail outcome.
The online test on Moodle will nevertheless be assessed on a 30-point scale. Students who obtain a mark higher than 18 will pass the exam.
The test marks will be graded as follows:
A. Marks in the 18–22 range will be awarded in the presence of:
- sufficient knowledge and ability to apply understanding of the course programme;
- limited ability to collect and/or interpret data, formulating independent judgements;
- sufficient communication skills.
B. Marks in the 23–26 range will be awarded in the presence of:
- fair knowledge and ability to apply understanding of the course programme;
- fair ability to collect and/or interpret data, formulating independent judgements;
- fair communication skills, especially in relation to the use of the specific terminology of Cultural Heritage.
C. Marks in the 27–30 range will be awarded in the presence of:
- good or excellent knowledge and ability to apply understanding of the course programme;
- good or excellent ability to collect and/or interpret data, formulating independent judgements;
- fully appropriate communication skills, especially in relation to the use of the specific terminology of Cultural Heritage.
D. Honours will be awarded in the presence of excellent knowledge and ability to apply understanding of the course programme, judgement skills and communication skills

- Class Lessons;
- Brainstorming;
- On-line tests;
- Personal study.

For further information and for not-attending students, contact the teacher (calaon@unive.it).

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "Circular economy, innovation, work" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development