ARCHAEOLOGICAL ARCHIVES WORKING PARTY ANNUAL REPORT 2014
Part 1: ARCHES
In 2014 (as in 2012 and 2013) the activities of the Archaeological Archives Working Group of the EAC
were defined by the ARCHES-project (Archaeological Resources in Cultural Heritage: a European
Standard). The project was co-funded by the institutes of its members and Education, Audiovisual &
Culture Executive Agency of the European Commission “Culture Programme 2007 – 2013” to whom a
successful application had been made in Autumn of 2011.
Project Members:
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David Bibby (EACAAWP Deputy Chair), Landesamt für Denkmalpflege Baden-Württemberg
im Regierungspräsidium Stuttgart, D (Lead Partner, Project Management)
Duncan Brown, English Heritage, GB
Annika Carlsson/Ylva Larsson, Riksantikvarieäambetet, S
Ann Degraeve (EACAAWP Chair), Ministère de la Région de Bruxelles-Capitale, B
Martin Kuna, Archeologický ústav AV CR, Praha, i.v.v., CZ
Guus Lange, Rijksdienst het Cultureel Erfgoed, NL
Sólborg Una Pálsdóttir, Archaeological Heritage Agency, IS
Bettina Stoll-Tucker, Landesamt für Denkmalpflege und Archäologie Sachsen-Anhalt, D
Project Office: Manuela Fischer, Landesamt für Denkmalpflege Baden-Württemberg im
Regierungspräsidium Stuttgart, D
Subcontractor: Kathy Perrin, GB
External Partner: Archaeoconcept Sàrl, CH
Consultants: Catherine Hardmann, ADS, GB, Sascha Schmidt, VS-Consulting, D,
Advisor: Adrian Olivier, GB.
Project Structure:
To achieve the aims listed below, the project was divided into seven explicit work packages:
WP 1: Project management and coordination (Baden-Württemberg)
WP 2: Core Standard Production (English Heritage)
WP 3: Organisation of Survey/Workshops (Archaeological Heritage Agency, Iceland)
WP 4: Bibliography (Sachsen Anhalt)
WP 5: Applied Standard Production (Archeologicky ustav AVCR Praha, v.v.i)
WP 6: Dissemination (Brussels Capital Region)
WP 7: Sustainability measures (Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed)
Project Aims
The ARCHES project had three overarching aims:
1. To raise awareness for archaeological archiving matters at a European level.
2. The production of a first European manual on archaeological archiving.
3. The creation a European platform/forum for archaeological archiving matters.
Project Achievements:
1. RAISING AWARENESS:
Over 30 ARCHES meetings, event, lectures, poster presentations etc. across Europe reaching a wide
European audience in Albania, Austria, , Belgium, Czech Republic, Germany, Iceland, The
Netherlands, Sweden, United Kingdom.
11 ARCHES publications (not including the ARCHES manual)
Networking with relevant organizations including Archaeology data Service, CIDOC CRM, The
European Heritage Network, IANUS-Project of the German Archaeological Institute.
15 – 20 ARCHES mentions on related web pages (not including the ARCHES WIKI).
2. PRODUCTION OF A FIRST EUROPEAN MANUAL ON ARCHAEOLOGICAL ARCHIVING.
The manual “A Standard and Guide to Best Practice for Archaeological Archiving in Europe” was
written in a collegial and concerted effort by the ARCHES membership and structured and
homogenized in English by Kathy Perrin who was sub contracted specifically for this task. Translations
of the text into the six other languages of the project were organized and/or undertaken by project
members.
The manual is available for download from the ARCHES WIKI:
http://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/arches/Wiki.jsp?page=The%20Standard%20and%20Guide%20to
%20Best%20Practice%20in%20Archaeological%20Archiving%20in%20Europe.
It is to be hoped that the EAC board will make a print on demand option available to eligible
institutions and individuals.
3. CREATION A EUROPEAN PLATFORM/FORUM FOR ARCHAEOLOGICAL ARCHIVING MATTERS.
Through the creation of the ARCHES WIKI: http://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/arches (at present on
the Servers of the Archaeology Data Service, York) a platform and forum has been established for
archaeological archiving matters across Europe. This web presence can be used as a starting point
for continued activity, strengthening the standing of archaeological archiving within cultural heritage in
Europe.
Administration and Finances:
Duration of the ARCHES-project: 1st June 2012 – 31st May 2014
The Project was calculated as a “zero–sum game”, theoretically no partner would make a profit or a
loss. The estimated project budget (end of 2011) was 323,654.00 € with 50% co-financing through the
Education, Audiovisual & Culture executive agency of the European Commission “Culture Programme
2007 – 2013”. In the event the final project costs (July 2014) amounted to 271,443.61 €. This was due
to a number of factors including an original overestimation of the time needed for some of the tasks,
lower invoices than originally calculated and falling real travel and subsistence costs.
After the end of the actual ARCHES project, administrative work continued at the Landesamt für
Denkmalpflege Baden-Württemberg im Regierungspräsidium Stuttgart preparing the “Final Technical
Implementation Report” and the “Final Financial Report” (Audit). After the submission of both reports
at the end of July 2015, negotiations with the Education, Audiovisual & Culture executive agency of
the European Commission continued until mid-December 2014. In a letter dated 23rd December 2014
the Education, Audiovisual & Culture executive agency of the European Commission finally informed
the Landesamt für Denkmalpflege Baden-Württemberg im Regierungspräsidium Stuttgart that the
evaluation of the final report had been completed and found acceptable. As of March 2015, the
Landesamt für Denkmalpflege Baden-Württemberg im Regierungspräsidium Stuttgart has calculated
final balance for each project partner. Each of the partners has been informed of this calculation. The
author of this part of the report is pleased to confirm that indeed no partner made a financial loss by
taking part in ARCHES. Therefore, ARCHES can be considered an administrative and scientific
success and as a firm foundation upon which can be built.
Finally, as ARCHES project manager I would like to thank the EAC board for the support they felt fit to
give to the ARCHES-project.
David Bibby
EAC-AAWG Vice-Chair, ARCHES project manager, Esslingen in March 2015.
Part 2
In the aftermath of the ARCHES project, the EAC Archaeological Archives Working Group has
developed a new program to be executed during the coming years.
The following activities are on the working group’s programme:
1. Branding ARCHES / EAC-AAWP
It is important to create and impose an identity and image when communicating our values. The
AAWP can continue to use the name ARCHES for its activities – there are no objections from the EU
in doing so
2. Renewing and consolidating membership of the EAC Working Party
The EAC-AAWP needs some new members, especially from Southern Europe. During the EAC
General Assembly, March 2013 in Amersfoort, several countries expressed their direct interest in
collaboration. Since then, Portugal and Austria have joined the Working Group.
3. ARCHES-follow-up and contact with countries interested in collaboration
The ARCHES website statistics concerning the number of visits and downloads of the ARCHES
Guidelines shows that the Guidelines have been downloaded more than a thousand times, not only in
Europe but all over the world. For example, between June 16 and June 22, 2014, the Guidelines have
been downloaded 234 times! This is partly due to Facebook and other campaigns directed at ICAHM,
ICOMOS, ICCROM, etc. However these contacts should be renewed and intensified to reach other
countries and archaeologists.
The following activities are planned:
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Further dissemination of the Guide
Checking out new translation possibilities
Continuation and expansion of the existing bibliography on archaeological archiving
Continuity of the ARCHES website
Contact with the countries that expressed their interest directly
Checking out the members of the LinkedIn page (as of March 12, 2015, the ARCHES LinkedIn
page counts 781 members).
Working out a plan to contact other stakeholders such as traditional archives, museums,
private archaeological firms, etc.
4. An important future topic for the EAC-AAWP: Preservation and durability of digital data
During the preparation of the actual ARCHES Guidelines, an intensive debate took place concerning
the preservation and durability of the vast amount of digital data that are created during an
archaeological project. Therefore, parallel to the follow up of the ARCHES Guidelines (cf point 3), this
new topic will be the subject of new Guidelines on Archaeological Digital Data.
The working plan:
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The following subjects should be considered:
o Metadata, Dublin Core and similar metadata schema’s
o Preservation methods and technologies
o Preservation strategies: risk assessment, evaluation of content
o Digital sustainability & providing access to your content
o Repositories
o Digital preservation Best Practices
o Gathering an extensive overview of digital preservation initiatives
Contact has been taken with the “Kommission Archäologie und Informationssysteme” of the
“Verband der Landesarchäologen” in Germany, which has prepared a document (in German)
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concerning the preservation of digital data to be used by German archaeologists.
Collaboration between the Kommission and the EAC-AAWP would thus allow a synergic
collaboration.
Contact to be made with the ARIADNE network. ARIADNE brings together and integrates
existing archaeological research data infrastructures so that researchers can use the various
distributed datasets and new and powerful technologies as an integral component of the
archaeological research methodology.
5. Establishing new collaborations
The former collaboration with the European Association of Archaeologists (EAA) will be
reanimated:
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Renewing of the archaeological archiving group within the EAA
Cross-collaboration with the EAA working groups on legislation and education
Ann DEGRAEVE
EAC-AAWG Chair