Mosaics at Archaeological Sites: Training for Site Managers

The conservation and management of archaeological sites with in situ mosaics presents a complex set of challenges. These regional training courses put the conservation of in situ mosaics in the context of site management issues such as visitation, urban encroachment, development pressures, and site presentation.

It aims to enhance the knowledge and skills of site managers and others charged with the daily care and maintenance of archaeological sites, resulting in improved states of conservation, maintenance, and presentation of sites.

The conservation and management of archaeological sites with in situ mosaics presents a complex set of challenges. These regional training courses put the conservation of in situ mosaics in the context of site management issues such as visitation, urban encroachment, development pressures, and site presentation.

It aims to enhance the knowledge and skills of site managers and others charged with the daily care and maintenance of archaeological sites, resulting in improved states of conservation, maintenance, and presentation of sites.

• A three-week training held May 2010 at the World Heritage site of Tyre, Lebanon, that included fifteen participants from Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco, Syria, and Tunisia, along with an international group of instructors, exploring the significance of mosaics on archaeological sites and strategies for their management and conservation.
• A three-week training in April 2014 at the World Heritage site of Paphos, Cyprus, that trained twenty heritage professionals from eleven different countries, including Albania, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Egypt, Greece, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Palestine, Serbia, and Tunisia, covering all aspects of conserving and managing archaeological sites with mosaics
• A three-week training in May 2017 at the World Heritage Site of Volubilis, Morocco, that included nearly twenty participants from Algeria, Cyprus, Lebanon, Mali, Morocco, and Tunisia and concluded with a follow-up meeting in Rome for other examples of site conservation and management, including those in an urban context
• A monthly, yearlong online program that began in February 2021 was developed to supplement the delayed in-person course in Amman, Jordan, providing instructor-led presentations, lectures from Jordanian heritage professionals, and presentations by course participants of their own work as it relates to protective sheltering or reburial
• A two-week advanced course in Amman, Jordan, held in September 2022 for twenty participants from ten countries, featured field visits to the important historical mosaic sites Jerash, Umm ar-Rasas, and Madaba and focused on use of protective shelters and reburial
• A series of specialized workshops on grant writing to provide the site manager course participants with the information and resources needed to create successful grant applications for their projects. Related one-on-one mentoring program with site managers to provide active guidance throughout a real-life grant writing process from identifying possible funders to writing the grant. Through these initiatives, funds have been awarded to support projects in Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, and Serbia.

With centuries of cultural and artistic achievement, the Mediterranean basin is an area of active archaeological excavation and research. Among the most extraordinary archaeological resources of this region are the mosaic pavements of classical antiquity. Mosaics can be found either in their original context, as part of the decorative scheme of a building or complex of buildings, or within museums where they have been placed after having been lifted and removed from their original site.

The conservation and management of archaeological sites with in situ mosaics presents a complex set of challenges. MOSAIKON has addressed these challenges by implementing a series of regional training courses, “Conservation and Management of Archaeological Sites with Mosaics.” These courses put the conservation of in situ mosaics in the context of broader site management issues such as visitation, urban encroachment, development pressures, and site presentation.

Department of Antiquities of Cyprus (2014-2015); Archaeological Research Unit, University of Cyprus (2014-2105); ATHAR Program of ICCROM (2010-2011); Department of Antiquities of Lebanon (2010-2011); Department of Antiquities of Jordan