Page 41 - Manual for Activities directed at the Underwater Cultural Heritage

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Rule 4 further reiterates the principle of Rule 1. Just like Rule 3 it stresses that activities should not affect a site more than necessary, and that the overarching aim is to preserve and protect a site as much and as best as possible. In Rule 4 the emphasis is on the methodology and on the techniques to be deployed. Every initiator of an activity directed at a site is encouraged to consider whether the objectives defined cannot be achieved with the deployment of non-destructive techniques and survey methods rather than by traditional digging and the recovery of objects and samples.
Many non-destructive techniques exist and many others are likely to be created or to be adapted to the specific needs of archaeological research. Hydrographical and geophysical survey methods can be applied to underwater cultural heritage and in the interpretation of submerged landscapes or sea- bottom conditions. The development of such methods and the techniques involved went hand in hand with the development of underwater archaeology. Archaeological sites have often been the showcase for what new devices are capable of. In Chapter III
helpful to formulate a research agenda for a region or for a certain type of site. Scrupulous preparation and scrupulous competent authorization can then indeed ensure that the impact of activities that are primarily undertaken for research is proportionate to their objectives.
Preference for non-destructive techniques
Rule 4.
Activities directed at underwater cultural heritage must use non-destructive tech- niques and survey methods in preference to recovery of objects. If excavation or recovery is necessary for the purpose of scientific studies or for the ultimate protection of the underwater cultural heritage, the methods and techniques used must be as non-destructive as possible and contribute to the preservation of the remains.
General Principles