Tyre, Lebanon
The first course on Conservation and Management of Archaeological Sites with Mosaics (2010–11), led by the GCI and ICCROM's ATHAR initiative and in partnership with the Directorate General of Antiquities of the Ministry of Culture of Lebanon, was held in May 2010 at the site of Tyre, Lebanon.
The course was for site managers from the Arabic-speaking countries of the eastern Mediterranean and North Africa and was taught in both Arabic and English. Fifteen participants from Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco, Syria, and Tunisia took part in the three-week workshop. Together with an international group of instructors, the participants considered the significance of mosaics on archaeological sites and strategies for their management and conservation.
With a combination of lectures, classroom activities and discussion, and on-site practical exercises, the workshop curriculum included mosaic typology, techniques, and terminology; site management; documentation and condition assessment; materials deterioration; and hands-on conservation practice.
The practical work phase of the course lasted approximately one year. Course participants developed and carried out individual or small group projects that drew upon particular topics covered by the course, ranging from documentation and condition surveys to public advocacy and education. These projects were followed and guided by the course instructors.
Course participants were also awarded a grant by the Getty Foundation to attend the 2011 ICCM conference in Morocco, and additional grants were given to fund the continued implementation of two of the training projects.
In September 2011, course participants and instructors reconvened for a follow-up workshop held at ICCROM headquarters in Rome and at the site of Herculaneum, Italy. This follow-up opportunity allowed the participants to present their own projects and to learn about other archaeological sites and their approaches to conservation and management. The site of Herculaneum also provided the participants opportunity for additional site exercises that reinforced key concepts of archaeological site planning.
Page updated: October 2014