Page 116 - Manual for Activities directed at the Underwater Cultural Heritage

 © MMRG. Dredging taking place in the Oued Loukkos, outside the mole of the modern port of Larache, Morocco.
The dredging is for construction aggregate, and by removing ca. 600 m3 of sand a day, this process is adversely affecting the natural sedimentation regime of the tidal river. In addition, as the dredging
is taking place in a river basin with numerous archaeological sites including the settlement of Lixus, associated submerged cultural material could be destroyed in the process.
the Method of Research
• Research is integral to any intervention.
• There is no recipe for dealing with the underwater cultural heritage. Only a properly trained, qualified and competent archaeologist following a scientific methodology can ensure that society is provided
with reliable knowledge.
• The working method must be clear, rapid and
straightforward.
• More technical resources do not necessarily mean
better scientific results.
• Before starting to excavate, the archaeologist must
have adequate knowledge of the culture of the
human group concerned by the site.
• The purpose of the methodology is not to recover
objects but to obtain knowledge.
To be effective, the methodology and techniques used must be appropriate for the scientific objective being pursued. This means that the archaeologist needs to have the requisite intellectual training, first to establish the scientific objectives, and then to design and apply the methodology and techniques best suited to the project’s goals. A successful excavation is of no avail in the absence of the capabilities and knowledge required to draw scientifically reliable conclusions that can be communicated to society.
The next step in developing the methodology is thus to identify the appropriate techniques that are available and practicable in the context of the project. Whatever research question is being studied, each site requires consideration about which tech- nologies are most appropriate for answering that question. If the question is about the age of the site, then dendro-chronology, radio-carbon dating,
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Objective, methodology and techniques