Page 85 - Manual for Activities directed at the Underwater Cultural Heritage

− the research questions that are conceived of as relevant to the site;
− the research questions for which the site is con- ceived of as relevant;
• influences future planning and mitigation sche- mes; and
• informs discussion on what
− measures should be taken for sites, especially
for those under threat;
− can and should be preserved in situ; and
− can or should be destroyed for the sake of
research and development.
Although preliminary assessment of significance is just one step in the cycle of understanding and ma- naging underwater cultural heritage, it is a very
The criteria used to determine the intrinsic value of a site are:
a. Archaeological significance: the potential to yield important information about the past through archaeological investigation
b. Historical significance: the association of a site or an object with people, events, activities, places and themes in local, regional, national or international history
c. Research significance: the measure in which a site, an object or collection may be relevant to settle topical research questions in archaeology, history or any of the other sciences
d. Aesthetic significance
e. Social or spiritual significance and remembrance
value
f. Visibility and experience value
g. Economical significance
Additional comparative criteria are used to evaluate the degree of significance of a site or object in comparison with other sites in an area:
a. Provenance
b. Period
c. Representativeness and group value d. Rarity/uniqueness
e. Condition/completeness/fragility
f. Documentation
g. Interpretive potential
h. Accessibility
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Preliminary work