Shelters for Archaeological Sites with Mosaics

The Conservation and Management of Archaeological Sites: A Select Annotated Bibliography published in 2003, was created to provide practitioners, as well as those new to the subject, with an overview of the literature related to the management and conservation of archaeological sites The section "Methods and Techniques for Protection and Stabilization" incorporates an individual bibliography on roofing and shelters used to control the deterioration of the site or its components.

Building on work begun in 2002 in partnership with Historic England and the Israel Antiquities Authority on the evaluation of the performance of shelters over mosaics, MOSAIKON continues to address the urgent issue of sheltering archaeological sites. Although this project is focused on the specific needs of archaeological sites with mosaics, sheltering continues to be a significant and controversial issue impacting archaeological sites in general around the world.

There is a critical lack of literature and guidance on the subject, from the initial decision of whether or not to shelter, through the design and construction phases, to evaluation, maintenance, and monitoring. This project addresses this need by creating broadly applicable guidelines that are widely accepted and used by the professional community at large.

The project also builds on a symposium on protective shelters for archaeological sites held by the Herculaneum Conservation Project in 2013 in partnership with the Conservation Institute and funded through a grant provided by the Getty Foundation.

The Conservation Institute is addressing this situation by developing guidelines that:

• are applicable to a range of heritage professionals including architects, engineers, archaeologists, scientists, conservators, curators, and other decision makers and administrators
• encompass the entire sheltering process, including the decision of whether to shelter; design; construction; and evaluation and maintenance of shelters
• are easily accessible, providing illustrative case studies
• are applicable to diverse situations and contexts

Yael Alef, Lori Anglin, Jacques Neguer, John Stewart

Laura Matarese, Getty Graduate Intern (2014–2015); Juliette Rafaelli, Lucinda Schell, Jeanne Marie Teutonico