ICOMOS CHARTER
FOR THE PROTECTION AND MANAGEMENT
OF THE UNDERWATER CULTURAL HERITAGE
Fundamental principles
The preservation of underwater cultural heritage in situ should be considered as a first option.
Preservation should be accompanied by compatible public access.
Non-destructive techniques, non-intrusive survey and sampling should be encouraged wherever possible, in preference to total excavation.
Investigation embraces the whole range of methods, from non-destructive techniques to total excavation. It must not destroy any more of the underwater cultural heritage than is necessary for the mitigatory or scientific objectives of the investigation.
Investigation should avoid unnecessary disturbance of human remains or venerated sites.
Where destruction or intrusive investigation takes place it must be accompanied by adequate documentation.
Project design
Before any investigation takes places, a project design must be developed and under certain circumstances made available to scientific community, and includes:
Where unexpected discoveries are made or circumstances change, the project design should be reviewed and amended.
The investigation must be carried out in accordance with the project design.
Funding
Adequate funds must be assured in advance of investigation to complete all stages of the project design including conservation, report preparation and dissemination. The project design should include contingency plans that will ensure conservation of underwater cultural heritage and supporting documentation in the event of any interruption in anticipated funding.
Project funding must not require the sale of underwater cultural heritage or the use of any strategy that will cause underwater cultural heritage and supporting documentation to be irretrievably dispersed.
Time-table
Adequate time must be assured in advance of investigation to complete all stages of the project design including conservation, report preparation and dissemination. The project design should include contingency plans that will ensure conservation of underwater cultural heritage and supporting documentation in the event of any interruption in anticipated timings.
Scientific objectives, methodology and techniques
Scientific objectives and the details of the methodology and techniques to be employed must be set down in the project design. The methodology should accord with the scientific objectives of the investigation and the techniques employed must be as little intrusive as possible.
Qualifications, responsibility and experience
All investigations of underwater cultural heritage will only be undertaken under the direction of and in the presence of a named underwater archaeologist with recognized qualifications and experience appropriate to the investigation.
All persons on the investigating team must be suitably qualified and experienced for their project roles. They must be fully briefed and understand the work required.
Preliminary investigation
All intrusive investigations of underwater cultural heritage must be preceded and informed by a site assessment that evaluates the vulnerability, significance and potential of the site. The site assessment must encompass background studies of available historical and archaeological evidence, the archaeological and environmental characteristics of the site and the consequences of the intrusion for the long term stability of the area affected by investigations.
Collaboration
Collaboration with museums and other scientific institutions is to be encouraged. Provision for visits, research and reports by collaborating institutions should be made in advance of the investigation.
Documentation
All investigation must be thoroughly documented in accordance with current professional standards of archaeological documentation.
Documentation must include as a minimum the systematic and complete recording of the site, the provenance of underwater cultural heritage moved or removed in the course of investigation, field notes, plans, sections, photographs and recording in other media.
Material conservation
The conservation programme must provide for treatment of archaeological remains during investigation, in transit and in the long term. It should also provide for long term stabilization of the site.
Safety
The safety of the investigating team and third parties is paramount. All persons on the investigating team must work according to a safety policy prepared according to statutory and professional requirements and set out in the project design.
Reporting
Interim reports should be made available to the scientific community according to a timetable set out in the project design, and deposited in relevant national records.
Reports should include:
Deposition of archive
The project archive, including underwater cultural heritage that has been removed during investigation and a copy of all supporting documentation, must be deposited in a venue that can provide for public access and the curation of the archive in perpetuity. Arrangements for deposition of the archive should be agreed before investigation commences, and should be set out in the project design. The archive should be prepared according to professional standards of archive preparation.
Where underwater cultural heritage is deposited in a number of venues, provision must be made for its reconstitution as a single assemblage. Underwater cultural heritage is not to be traded as items of commercial value.
Dissemination
Projects should provide for public participation and training and popular presentation of the results of the investigation.
A final synthesis of the investigation must be made available to the scientific community as soon as possible having regard to the complexity of the research and should be deposited in relevant national records.