Review of: F. Boschi (ed.). 2016 “Looking to the future, caring for the past. Preventive archaeology in theory and practice.” Bologna: Bononia University Press

We are entering a new era when it comes to the trade off between economic development and archaeological heritage. There are now new instruments and methods available from geophysics for recording in non-invasive ways buried archaeological sites and their features. At the same time, following the e...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Federica Boschi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BraDypUS 2018-12-01
Series:Groma
Subjects:
Online Access:https://archaeopresspublishing.com/ojs/index.php/groma/article/view/1340
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Summary:We are entering a new era when it comes to the trade off between economic development and archaeological heritage. There are now new instruments and methods available from geophysics for recording in non-invasive ways buried archaeological sites and their features. At the same time, following the establishment of the Valletta Convention by the countries in Europe (first put forward in 1992 and then updated in 2007), there has emerged a new approach to public policy when it comes to defending the archaeological patrimony of its landscapes and its cityscapes. Edited by Federica Boschi, the book under review takes up the important task of offering a comprehensive account of where we stand today. Looking to the Future, Caring for the Past is the fruit of two years of the Summer School (2013-2014) organized by the University of Bologna, which brought together scholars from a number of EU countries and students with an interest in learning more about Preventive Archaeology – the name, in shorthand, now given to this field of inquiry and practice. The challenge is concisely laid out by Boschi in her introduction to the volume: “Throughout Europe, and especially in Italy, there is a growing need to reconcile the everyday development and demands of city life and an increasingly busy countryside with the interests of archaeological research and the protection, whenever possible, of the cultural heritage passed down to us.” The reconciliation of the two sides entails a complex and delicate balancing act, as set out clearly in the volume.
ISSN:2531-6672