Session: #

Content:

The European convention for the protection of the archaeological heritage was ratified by Romania in 1997, and set the premises for a new national legislation in regard to this issue. After a void of specific legislation which lasted for an entire decade, in 2000 was adopted the new law concerning archaeology and rather soon the “polluters/developers pay” principle was necessary to be implemented since a series of private industrial projects and public motorways projects were initiated. This was a completely new reality for the archaeology and the archaeologists in Romania. It’s very useful that, two decades later to undertake an analysis about how was understood by the different stakeholder the development led archaeology and how is was perceived by the academic environment, the heritage agencies and, last but not least by the institutions involved in this “new kind” of archaeology.
An in-depth analysis will be made, considering the experience of the National History Museum of Romania, which has an important expertise as concerns the rescue/preventive/development-led archaeology in Romania during the last 3 decades. The paper will present a series of key issues such as: the importance of these large-scale rescue excavation in providing new understanding and knowledge about the archaeological heritage; how to negotiate and communicate with the stakeholders in the benefit of archaeological heritage; the difficult dialogue between the administrative milieu (the heritage agencies) and the professional environment; the opportunities and constrains for developing a professional carrier in archaeology etc. The perspective provided by the paper encompasses certain positive evolutions, but also takes a closer look to the challenges which had to be overcome while undertaking large scale preventive excavation in Romania and recognizing their role in such paradigm shifting.

EAA 2023: Abstract

Title & Content

authors