Cultural World Heritage Sites are incredibly diverse, ranging from individual monuments and sites, such as Stonehenge and Avebury, to historic areas and cities such as Bath, Liverpool and Edinburgh. The defining characteristic that links all cultural World Heritage Sites is that the asset or property must be recognised as being of ‘outstanding universal value’.

In many countries, World Heritage Sites are provided with statutory protection under national planning and/or development legislation. This is not the case in the United Kingdom, although the outstanding international importance of the site does constitute a key material consideration to be taken into account by local planning authorities in determining planning and listed building applications. Local authorities are also required to formulate specific planning policies for protecting World Heritage Sites.

This course introduces participants to the processes of WHS nomination and inscription, and explores the impact of WHS designation on the management of a site. It will discuss some of the practical issues that flow from WHS inscription and the need to manage and protect a site’s ‘outstanding universal value’. It is aimed at professionals who would like to know more about the position of World Heritage Sites in the planning process (in England and the rest of the UK), and to those who are keen to improve the quality, relevance and effectiveness of World Heritage Site management plans and planning.

Audience
The course is open to all, but will be of particular interest to:
• World Heritage Site co-ordinators and managers or those providing advice to other property owners/managers in the vicinity of a WHS;
• Planners who have to consider the potential impact of development proposals on a WHS or within the setting or buffer zone of a WHS;
• Heritage practitioners who wish to understand the importance and impact of World Heritage Sites or who might become involved in preparing a WHS management plan or a conservation management plan for a heritage asset in close proximity to one;
• Practitioners who have an interest in working on projects for UNESCO internationally.

More information

If you have any questions about this course, please email professional.arch@conted.ox.ac.uk

On Thursday 10th December 2009 at 6.30pm in The Gallery, 77 Cowcross Street, London, EC1M 6EL

We would like to invite you to this year’s ICOMOS-UK Christmas Lecture and Wine Reception, in association with The Royal Institution of Great Britain:

The lecture will be given by Professor Clive Ruggles, Chair of the International Astronomical Union ’s Working Group on Astronomy and World Heritage.

In today’s brightly lit world it is all too easy to forget just how overwhelming the dark night sky would have been to human societies in the past—a prominent part of the observed world that was impossible to ignore.

The objects and cycles seen there were vital to people striving to make sense of the world within which they dwelt and to keep their actions in harmony with the cosmos as they perceived it.

The Thirteen Towers, Peru

For the archaeoastronomer, certain ancient monuments provide tantalising glimpses of long lost beliefs and practices relating to the sky, although they have to be interpreted with considerable caution.

In this lecture Clive Ruggles, Emeritus Professor of Archaeoastronomy at the University of Leicester, will describe some major new discoveries made in recent years, focusing on his own ongoing work in Peru, Polynesia, and prehistoric Europe.

Clive is Chair of the International Astronomical Union’s Working Group on Astronomy and World Heritage, which is working with UNESCO and ICOMOS to help identify, protect and preserve the most outstanding manifestations of global cultural heritage relating to the sky. Clive is also President of the Prehistoric Society, and President of IAU Commission 41 (History of Astronomy).  His books include Skywatching in the Ancient World: New Perspectives in Cultural Astronomy, edited with Gary Urton (Colorado, 2007), Ancient Astronomy: An Encyclopedia of Cosmologies and Myth (ABC-CLIO, 2005), and Astronomy in Prehistoric Britain and Ireland (Yale UP, 1999).

Admission (including wine and mince pies after the lecture) is £15 for ICOMOS-UK or The Royal institution of Great Britain members.
Admission for non-members is £18 and for students it is £10.

We do hope you will join us on the 10th December, 

For more information and a booking form please contact:

Camilla Massara
Events Co-ordinator
International Council on Monuments & Sites UK

Tel 020 7566 0031
E-mail: camillamassara@icomos-uk.org

A study day organised in association with the British Museum, British Kazakh Society and the Royal Asiatic Society, focussing on the history and culture of Kazakhstan. It will include lectures by noted academics and writers of the archaeology, history, art and music of Kazakhstan, providing an introduction to this vast country of diverse landscapes and a rich cultural heritage. There will also be a performance by renowned Kazakh musicians of traditional music, a photographic exhibition and a reception at the end of the day.

For more information and bookings please click here.

November 14-16, 2008

UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON

Hosted by Atkins Heritage, English Heritage and UCL

Centre for Museums, Heritage and Material Culture

Concern for heritage of the recent past has long been confined to the particular interests of a sub-set of architectural historians for whom listing post-war buildings (notably of the reconstruction years) was a clear focus. Archaeologists are also now taking an active and enthusiastic interest in the modern period; the only surprise is that it has taken so long. After a steady start, and an almost inevitable concentration on industrial and military sites and landscapes, it has quickly become more than the fringe interest it perhaps once was, a side-show to the main attraction. In local planning authorities, archaeological units and trusts, as well as national agencies and universities, the heritage interest in contemporary and historical archaeology has now emerged with strength and alacrity. English Heritage’s Change and Creation programme, in partnership with Atkins Heritage, and the universities of London and Bristol is evidence of this, as is the Images of Change book (Sefryn Penrose 2007), the recent Modern Times issue of Conservation Bulletin (2007), numerous published articles and several entries in the Heritage Reader (Fairclough et al. 2008). A head of steam is quickly building.

CHAT (Contemporary and Historical Archaeology in Theory) is a dynamic forum for innovative critical discussion that seeks to challenge and push the limits of archaeological thinking. To date this has been achieved through five annual conferences, publications and an active email discussion group. This year’s conference takes CHAT in a new direction, exploring connections between these theoretical perspectives and ideals and the more traditional concerns of heritage management practice. What can CHAT offer heritage practitioners, and vice versa? How much of heritage management practice holds relevance to CHAT? Should the heritage sector retain its focus on that which is ‘old’ and ‘special’, or should we feel comfortable with a broader remit, accepting that what we have today (inherited from the past, and what we create and manufacture ourselves) is part of the longer-term process of change with which we, as archaeologists, are closely familiar? CHAT presents particular challenges for heritage practitioners and agencies: Value judgements for that which is new and unfamiliar, amongst culturally diverse communities, and the attendant issues of migrant heritage; traditional conceptions and practices for recording buildings versus the aesthetic and the evocative; the archaeology of the ephemeral, the intangible and the un-built, all things that are harder to trace in earlier periods; and how inter- or cross-disciplinary should we be? In a world of accountability, research frameworks and national research agenda, where should our priorities actually lie? What should a research strategy for contemporary and historical archaeology contain? And who is best qualified to do this work: archaeologists, or anthropologists, cultural geographers … artists and writers even?

Heritage CHAT provides an opportunity to examine some of these issues at close range, through plenary sessions that will contain theoretical and methodological perspectives on contemporary and historical archaeology, and examples of work in progress that address relevant themes. Papers are encouraged that challenge the very notion of heritage, and the commercial and corporate strategies that go with it, as are papers describing work on contemporary and historical archaeology which operate within more conventional heritage frameworks. Short (450 word) abstracts should be submitted to any of the organising committee (below) by email, by the end of May 2008.

For registration details please click here

For more information please contact:

Charlotte Frearson (charlotte.frearson@atkinsglobal.com)

Sarah May (sarah.may@english-heritage.org.uk)

Hilary Orange (h.orange@ucl.ac.uk)

Sefryn Penrose (Sefryn.penrose@atkinsglobal.com)

John Schofield (john.schofield@english-heritage.org.uk)

Statement of Purpose:  The International Scientific Committee on Earthen Architectural Heritage (ISCEAH) is issuing this Call for Expressions of Interest to find organizations and countries to promote, host, run and administer the next international conference known as “Terra”.  The Terra conference, which occurs every three to five years approximately, is an international conference whose theme relates to the study and conservation of earthen architectural, archaeological and cultural landscape heritage. Terra 2008 took place in Bamako, Mali, lasted five days followed by post-conference tours, and was attended by approximately 450 people. 

Proposed Conference Schedule:  The next Terra conference will be scheduled for 2012 so as not to coincide with the 17th ICOMOS General Assembly in the fall of 2011.

Aegis:  The Terra conference will occur under the aegis of ICOMOS and its specialist international scientific committee, ISCEAH.  ISCEAH will actively participate in the organization of the Terra conference by assisting in the selection of a separate Scientific Committee for the conference that will include the conference host, major partners and representatives of ISCEAH.  The purpose of the Conference Scientific Committee will be to assist in proposing program contents, recommend and review the selection of speakers, solicit sponsoring organizations, review the conference budget and venue for adequacy, request financial assistance for participants from developing countries, peer review submitted papers, etc.  In addition, ISCEAH will provide the following:

·        Validation and branding of the event as being internationally recognized as part of the ICOMOS Terra events lineage

·        Assistance in promoting the event worldwide through broad dissemination and website postings for the call for papers and the event itself

·        Advisory support from past organizers via ICOMOS

·        Help with acquiring financial assistance from countries, international organizations, foundations, etc. for travel and subsistence of speakers, students and delegates from developing countries

·        Advice on the form and scope of publications

·        Dissemination of the meeting’s conclusions through ICOMOS’s (www.icomos.org) and ISCEAH’s websites (http://isceah.icomos.org), newsletters, national and international committees

1st Submission:  Responders to this Call for Expressions of Interest are to prepare a preliminary proposal identifying the following:

·        Location and feasibility of venue

·        Relevance of location to earthen architectural, archaeological and cultural landscape heritage

·        Tentative schedule

·        Proposed partners, collaborators and sponsoring organizations

·        Preliminary costs

·        Proposed sources of funding

·        Suggestions for the main theme of the conference and the relevance of its scientific and social aim as a tool for the development of communities, as well as on a territorial basis

Deadline for 1st Submission: 30 September 2008.

2nd Submission:  Responses will be reviewed and proposers informed of the results by 15 October 2008.  A short list of responder(s) will be asked to further develop their proposal(s):

·        Details of venue (accessibility to major airports and other transportation, capacity of conference venue in terms of number of participants expected, quality of conference venue, costs to participants, etc.)

·        Suggestions for main scientific sub-themes

·        Timeliness and potential of the venue for addressing relevant issues in terms of the conservation of earthen architectural, archaeological and cultural landscape heritage

·        Preliminary program (number of days, number of presentations, suggested post-conference tours, etc.)

·        Detailed schedule

·        Committed partners, collaborators and sponsoring organizations

·        Developed costs

·        Committed sources of funding and proposed methods of financing

·        Details of publication of proceedings

·        Languages

Deadline for 2nd Submission: 15 January 2009.  Proposer(s) will be informed of the results by 31 January 2009.

Formalization of Agreement:  Agreements with partners, collaborators, sponsoring organizations, conference host and ICOMOS/ISCEAH will be formalized and finalized within a year of notification.  The Conference Scientific Committee will be selected and in place by 31 March 2009.

Responses:  Submit all responses to John Hurd, hurdcon@yahoo.co.uk, Pamela Jerome, pamela.jerome@gmail.com, and Mary Hardy, mhardy@lmi.net.

Ditch and mound, Tara Hill, photo: Holly Hayes

“Tara has significance far beyond Ireland itself,” said Professor Claire Smith, President of the World Archaeological Congress. “Its iconic significance derives from its unique cultural character, as situated in a broader landscape. The World Archaeological Congress strongly encourages the Irish Government to instigate formal protection measures for this area, and to consider nominating Tara for inscription as a World Heritage site.”

The Congress facilitated a Tara stakeholders’ panel. During this forum a number of competing and often contradictory claims were made and the World Archaeological Congress has now commissioned a report on the Tara discussions.

The World Archaeological Congress stressed that its report would not interfere with the legal and consultative planning process already completed in Ireland. “We do not question the validity of the planning process undertaken in Ireland. Our purpose is to learn lessons for the future and for other countries with issues surrounding development archaeology,” said Professor Smith.

“There are many strong opinions about Tara and it is important that valid claims receive due attention, and that misinformation be sifted out. This can only be done through a considered study,” Professor Smith said.

Recognising that the reburial of ancient remains in Ireland is subject to the provisions of the National Monuments Act and the agreement of the National Museum of Ireland, the World Archaeological Congress also draws attention to the Vermillion Accord on human remains and suggests that any human remains excavated from the cultural landscape of Tara should be re-interred with due respect as close as possible to their original locations, as this is where these people would have wished to be buried.

The World Archaeological Congress notes the significant adverse impact that motorways and other forms of development can have on valuable cultural landscapes. It will consider explicit inclusion of these concerns in its Codes of Ethics.

“Throughout the world, developments such as motorways can have significant adverse impact on cultural landscapes,” said Professor Smith. “Cultural heritage needs to be factored into the planning process from the beginning.”

“In order to address these issues from a global perspective the World Archaeological Congress will be holding an Inter-Congress with the theme “Rethinking relations of Archaeology and Development.”

The Inter-Congress on archaeology and development is likely to be held in Lund, Sweden, in 2009.

Read full media release

FURTHER INFORMATION:
Professor Claire Smith
Email: claire.smith@flinders.edu.au

Professor Smith, President of the World Archaeological Congress, said

“The idea of a World Archaeology Day was proposed by colleagues from Africa, an area of the world where cultural heritage is under dire threat from looting, tourism and government neglect”

A World Archaeology Day would follow on from previous UNESCO declarations of an International Museum Day and a World Tourism Day.

Professor Bayo Folorunso, of Nigeria, the Vice-President of the World Archaeological Congress, said

“A day that is devoted to appreciation of the worth of archaeology will enhance public understanding of the value of archaeology as a tool for unearthing our human past, and this will lead to greater protection of cultural heritage across the globe”

For further information contact: Professor Claire Smith (claire.smith@flinders.edu.au) or Professor Bayo Folorunso (cafoloso@hotmail.com)

Background

The World Archaeological Congress (WAC) is a non-governmental, not-for-profit organization and is the only elected international body of practising archaeologists. WAC holds an international congress every four years to promote the exchange of the results of archaeological research; professional training and public education for disadvantaged nations, groups and communities; the empowerment and betterment of Indigenous groups and First Nations peoples; and the conservation of archaeological sites.

The Sixth World Archaeological Congress (WAC-6) was held from 29th June-4th July at the University College Dublin. This was the first World Archaeological Congress to be held in Ireland. It was attended by over 1,800 archaeologists, native peoples and international scholars from 74 nations. Motions from the Plenary session of the Congress were considered by subsequent meetings of the World Archaeological Congress Council and Executive.

The Congress Patron for WAC-6 was President Mary McAleese. Previous Congress Patrons include Harriet Mayor Fulbright, Prince Charles and Nelson Mandela.