Sixth International Conference On Science and Technology in Archaeology and Conservation 

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Suggested Topics

The Main Theme of this year will be "Documentation and Risk Management of the Cultural Heritage (CH)"

While documentation has long been recognised as an important tool for Cultural Resource Management and the Conservation and Preservation of CH sites and artifacts, it is gaining more and more importance is Risk Management, not only in the case of naturally occurring threats such as weathering, flashfloods, corrosion and earthquakes, but in anthropogenic agents. Thsi is especially true of threats caused by Wars and Terrorism.

Therefore this conference will focus on new methods of documentation, digital or othererwise, how these processes serve the purpose of protection of the Cultural Heritage and how especially this is useful before, duirng, and after conflicts occur. Case studies, where documentation has specifically helped in the protection of the CH. Furthermore, in view of WATCH's special interests, contributions related to other means for protection against war and terrorism will also be accepted.

In addition, we hope to arrange an advanced workshop in which keynote speakers will deliver papers that will include but are not restricted to the following topics:

- Documentation of the Cultural Heritage: Techniques, Processes and Tools (to include Tangible and Intangible CH)

- Comparison of old and new tools of documentation.
- Digital methods

- Spatially based databases: Archaeological Information Systems, GIS and Electronic Databases

- Photogrammetry, 3D techniques, Virtual presentations and Multimedia

- Risk management.  Documentation as a tool for conservation, risk management, and day to day management of sites and historic collections.

- The value of documentation for protection of CH in troubled areas of the world
- Evaluation of various approaches and techniques of documentation. 

- Best Practice approaches.

The Main topics for this year are very much the same as before. However, we encourage everyone to contribute to the main theme

As a curtesy to the City of Rome, Roman Archaeology in the Middle East and Italy will also be covered as a special topic.

Workshop:

In line with tradition in previous conferences  a workshop on the protection of cultural heritage from the ravages of war and terrorism will convene. Contributions are welcome. Please indicate that you wish your presentation to be part of this workshop. This is a workshop for WATCH, which is an NGO we have established in Rome to deal with the problems of CH in Troubled areas of the World.

Training:

Furthermore, WATCH will convene a particular Training Session on Documentation of Cultural Heritage. WATCH 2008 will bring together an array of practitioners, activists, professionals, organizers and policy analysts, students and faculty to explore the history and future of tangible and intangible cultural heritage with emphasis on documentation.

Proposal for Sessions:

Interested in proposing a topic for a session within the main themes of the conference or the above workshops, and organize its particpants, please send your proposal to Dr. Talal Akasheh including session title, list of participants and titles of individual papers. Do not forget to ask your colleagues in the session to send us individual participation forms.