Resources

"Underwater Cultural Heritage in the Arab State RegionUnderwater   Cultural   Heritage   (UCH)   is   defined   by   UNESCO  as  “all  traces  of  human  existence  having  a  cultural,  historical  or  archaeological  character  which  have  been  partially  or  totally  under  water,  periodically  or continuously, for at least 100 years such as: i.  sites,  structures,  buildings,  artefacts  and  human  remains,   together   with   their   archaeological   and   natural context; ii. vessels, aircraft, other vehicles or any part thereof, their  cargo  or  other  contents,  together  with  their  archaeological and natural context; and iii. objects of prehistoric character”1.This   definition   relates   primarily   to   the   age   and   environmental    conditions    of    the    deposit,    i.e.,    the   remains   must   have   existed   fully   or   partially   “underwater” for at least 100 years, regardless of their type,  nature,  or  the  culture  to  which  they  belong.  Once  these  core  elements  have  been  confirmed,  the     archaeological     material     can     be     defined     further  according  to  one  or  more  specific  criteria:  -  chronology – the time period the remains date from; -  region  –  the  geographical  area  where  the  remains  were found; - typology – the physical categorisation of the remains, e.g., pottery, animal bone, stone etc.It is important to recognise that while the above criteria will  remain  constant,  the  “underwater”  nature  of  the  archaeological remains is subject to change, as a result of  either  human  or  environmental  intervention.  For  example,  many  sites  where  prehistoric  activity  took  place  on  land,  usually  close  to  ancient  shorelines,  are  • 1 - UNESCO. 2001. Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural  Heritage.  Paris:  Records  of  the  General  Conference,  31st  ses-sion, Article.
Underwater Cultural Heritage in the Arab State Regionnow submerged due to rising sea levels. Similarly, items such as swords, deposited in  lakes  or  rivers  as  part  of  past  rituals,  were  made  and  used  on  land.  These  sites  and artefacts have therefore come to meet the definition of “Underwater Cultural Heritage”. The opposite process is also possible: a shipwreck, for example, or other material  remains  lifted  from  the  seabed  and  placed  in  a  museum  would  lose  its  status as UCH.  This nuance tells us that UCH is not necessarily a constant scientific term. It relates to the underwater environment in which the material culture is located rather than any inherent archaeological or cultural attribute2. That is not to say that the material culture’s  underwater  location  is  not  important:  on  the  contrary,  the  underwater  context  reveals  changes  in  use,  condition  and  meaning  over  time.  The  physical  changes  that  the  underwater  environment  can  cause,  such  as  corrosion  or decay, and the natural, social and ideological changes that underwater locations can reflect, therefore, are vital parts of a site or object’s life history. The  underwater  location  is  also  a  key  factor  in  determining  which  scientific  techniques  and  methods  to  use  when  dealing  with  this  type  of  material  culture  for  purposes  of  exploration,  research,  documentation,  excavation,  conservation,  presentation  or  public  display.  Thus,  the  study  of  UCH  usually  requires  the  use  of  tools and techniques that differ from those employed on terrestrial archaeological sites3. For this reason, UCH is frequently mentioned in association with underwater archaeology,  i.e.,  archaeological  work,  such  as  excavation,  recording  and  analysis,  that  takes  place  on  partially  or  fully  submerged  sites.  Underwater  archaeology  is  governed  by  the  same  scientific  principles  and  standards  as  archaeological  work  on  land  but  is  tailored  to  the  specific  challenges  of  underwater  conditions4.  The  term  “underwater  archaeology”  is  not,  therefore,  a  sub-discipline  of  archaeology.  Instead, it is a technical term referring to a specific set of tools and techniques used in  conducting  archaeological  work  underwater,  within  the  wider  framework  and  principles of archaeological research."