Page 204 - Manual for Activities directed at the Underwater Cultural Heritage

 © E. Khalil.The ruins of the Pharos lighthouse, Alexandria, Egypt. Over 5,000 huge granite blocks lie under 8 m of water near the entrance of the eastern harbour of Alexandria. All of the remains have been recorded and are inspected every year in order to monitor the site.
Site management during
fieldwork
In the context of an activity directed at a heritage site, public information, site stabilization, monitor- ing and protection against interference are specifi- cally highlighted as relevant, but are also at risk of being neglected during the course of activities.
Site stabilization
This is a major aspect that risks being neglected in the course of activities that originate in investigative en- thusiasm. It therefore needs to be addressed in the management plan. Not all archaeological inter- ventions aim at full excavation. But even if this is the case, the site will not be cleared without delay and it needs to be stabilized. Archaeology is a meticulous process which progresses step by step. During the research process and as soon as the site is disturbed, it is much more vulnerable to erosion and destruction. Measures for site stabilization can imply sandbagging or covering of areas not under excavation. However, it can also be limited to the covering of the actual excavation area overnight or between shifts, in order to ensure that currents will not unguardedly wash away the sediment under excavation. The site stabilization programme should take account of weather and notoriously capricious sea conditions. Otherwise equipment or archaeological deposits may be lost if a storm comes up inadvertently.
Monitoring
Monitoring of a site’s condition during the period of interven- tion is the logical condition for adequate measures to counter erosion and damage. Monito- ring involves the periodic ob- servation, collection and ana- lysis of information on the site’s condition, in order to detect signs of both short and long- term changes. Monitoring of a site over longer periods of time
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Conservation and site management