The Conservation of Subterranean Cultural Heritage

In recent years, a debate has arisen concerning the convenience of conserving subterranean cultural heritage and the necessary management models. There is often pressure from local authorities more interested in using the cultural heritage sites in order to develop the economy and the tourism industry rather than in the conservation of the cultural heritage itself. This has caused the managing bodies to reconsider reopening of sites closed due to serious conservation problems.

This proceedings volume contains selected papers presented at the International Workshop “The Conservation of Subterranean Cultural Heritage”, held 25-27 March 2014, in Seville, Spain. The workshop was organized by the Spanish Network of Science and Technology for the Conservation of Cultural Heritage (TechnoHeritage). The objective of the workshop was to promote an interdisciplinary forum for discussion of all aspects of the conservation of subterranean cultural heritage, providing at the same time an up-to-date, comprehensive overview of the most recent investigations.

This book covers a wide range of scientific dimensions of the conservation and management of caves and necropolises. This state-of-the-art book will be of particular interest to archaeologists, historians, conservationists, cultural heritage specialists, architects, engineers and local and governmental policy-makers.