Sections
Archaeological Sciences | Heritage Studies | World Archaeology
Regions
Africa | Americas | Britain | Central Asia | China | Egypt | Europe | Greek | India | Islamic | London | Mediterranean | Middle East | Pacific | Roman | Turkey
Time Periods
Palaeolithic | Neolithic | Bronze Age | Iron Age | Classical | Medieval | Modern
Techniques, subjects and themes
Agriculture | Archaeobotany | Archaeological Survey | Archaeological Theory | Art History | Artefact Analysis | Audio-visual media | Biological Anthropology | Buildings | Community Archaeology | Conflict Archaeology | Conservation | Cultural Heritage | Dendrochronology | Empires | Environment & Climate | Evolutionary Theory | Experimental | Field | Forensic | Geoarchaeology | GIS | History of Archaeology | Human Evolution | Hunting & Herding | Landscape | Lithic Analysis | Maritime | Materials Analysis | Mathematical Modelling | Museum Studies | Photography | Production & Exchange | Public Archaeology | Public Engagement | Ritual & Religion | Site Management | States & Urbanism | Statistical Analysis | Zooarchaeology
Conservation
Conservation of material heritage concerns diagnosis and management of change in heritage artifacts. It involves investigation of both materials and significance (meaning) of artifacts and the changes affecting them. Managing change involves remedial conservation (seeking to repair or ameliorate existing damage) and preventive conservation (aiming to prevent or minimise future change). Thus research focuses on material aspects as in evaluation and development of investigative, remedial and preventive procedures. It also explores questions such as: Why conserve? Is all change undesirable? How does meaning affect practical conservation choices? When one object may carry many meanings, which should be elucidated through conservation? Institute staff have established the Conversations on conservation of cultural heritage blog to share and discuss news, projects, approaches and philosophies relating to the conservation of cultural heritage.
Research
Projects
- Ancient Merv Project
- Çatalhöyük
- Conservation's 'Catch-22'
- Examination and Conservation of the 'Ain Ghazal plaster cache
- Gresham Ship Project
- People Based Conservation
Networks
- An Ethnography of Archaeology (IoA network)
- Conservation and Development (IoA network)
Centres
People
Degrees
- MA in Artefact Studies
- MA in Principles of Conservation
- MA in Cultural Heritage Studies
- MA in Egyptian Archaeology
- MA in Managing Archaeological Sites
- MA in Mediterranean Archaeology
- MA in Museum Studies
- MSc in Conservation for Archaeology and Museums
Courses
undergraduate
graduate
- Conservation Processes
- Conservation Studies
- Conservation: Materials Science
- Conservation in practice: conservation management
- Conservation in practice: preventive conservation
- Issues in conservation: context of conservation
- Issues in conservation: understanding objects
- Chemistry for Archaeology & Conservation
- Rock Art Studies: Theories, Methods and Management
- Mediterranean Dynamics
- Mediterranean Prehistory
