This COST - Heritage Interest Group website is part of the European Cultural Heritage Network
for more details contact Science Officer Dr. Piotr Swiatek pswiatek@cost.esf.org
This portal is dedicated to COST Actions emphasising on Cultural Heritage. COST Actions are European Cooperations in the field of Scientific and Technical Research
Announcing a COST sponsored International Venue
The multidisciplinary Troia Project: Achievements and future prospects
COST workshop organized by the Institut für Ur- und Frühgeschichte und Archäologie des Mittelalters
University of Tübingen , Germany
28 - 30 October 2006
For details, programm and participation click here
or contact
ernst.pernicka@uni-tuebingen.de
An international meeting at Gent University, Belgium
5-7 December 2006
Cultural Heritage and Science: An Interdisciplinary Approach for the Conservation of Museum Objects
Objective of the meeting
The conservation and preservation of our cultural heritage is a significant contemporary European concern. The physical part of our heritage is deteriorating faster than it can be conserved, restored or studied. Assets are being lost, or are at risk, through natural processes of decay (sometimes accelerated by poor environmental control), environmental disasters (sometimes exacerbated by human activity), the direct effects of enhanced public access (without commensurate conservation measures), conservation/preservation procedures whose long-term effects were and are not understood, simple negligence, looting and war.
Advanced analytical methods and techniques are an essential prerequisite in this field as they provide the means to understand the objects under investigation. Through the identification of materials and processes, we can reach back through time and develop a deeper understanding of the craftsmanship and technology that was used. Advanced analytical methods also allow us to perform authenticity studies or contribute to the development of simple diagnostic techniques necessary for practical applied conservation.
A particular objective of the meeting in Ghent is to bring together museum professionals (curators, conservators) whose particular responsibility is the organization and preservation of collections, and analytical scientists, whose major expertise may be in a high-tech field, together with those involved in the political process to spread awareness of what is required and what can be done.
The meeting is funded by COST, which is an intergovernmental organization under the aegis of the European Science Foundation. Its purpose is to facilitate research networks across the EU. As part of this activity it occasionally sponsors Expert Meetings in particular areas so that research output and objectives can be discussed in a wider context. I hope you will find all the information you may need throughout this site and I look forward to meeting you all in Ghent.
Prof. Annemie Adriaens
>>access the venue's website
COST and Cultural Heritage: crossing borders Florence, 20-22 October 2005
Cultural Heritage lies at the heart of both, the diversity and the identity between regions in the evolving EU, and its appreciation is thus essential for enhancing the integration process. Therefore, the long term preservation of Europe's cultural heritage is a duty and a challenge, for ethical and political reasons, as well as for the health of the EU economy.
Crossing borders is an essential part of research for safeguarding cultural heritage. Interdisciplinary approaches need to bring together highly specialised experts, developing new technologies with the end users who are in charge of historic objects and ancient sites.
Aims. Therefore, this COST workshop has been conceived with the following objectives: to increase awareness of the need for protection of cultural heritage, to promote conservation research on a European level, to encourage [...]
COST Action G8 Non-destructive Analysis and Testing of Museum Objects
Damage assessment for cultural heritage - a collaboration between COST Action G8 / WG3 and the LiDo-project
COST Action A27 Understanding pre-industrial structures in rural and mining landscapes (LANDMARKS)
COST Action 625 3-D monitoring of active tectonic structures
COST Action C17 Built Heritage: Fire Loss to Historic Buildings
Malta Training School