|
|
 |
 |
|
Core
Data Standard for Archaeological Sites
and Monuments
The Core Data Standard for Archaeological Sites and Monuments
is the result of a collaboration between the documentation
committee (CIDOC) of the International Council of Museums
(ICOM) and the archaeology documentation group of the Council
of Europe. The standard has its origins in an international
conference of representatives of national archaeological records
held in Copenhagen in 1991. At this conference it became clear
that there were already many similarities between the approaches
used for different national records, but that there was a
need for closer co-operation in a number of areas, including
that of documentation standards. The decision to develop a
core data standard for archaeological sites and monuments
was made at the 1992 CIDOC meeting in Quebec, and the Archaeological
Sites Working Group was established to undertake the project.
The aims of the group are as follows:
- To facilitate communication between national and international
bodies responsible for the recording and protection of the
archaeological heritage,
- To assist countries at an early stage in developing systems
for the recording and protection of the archaeological heritage,
- To facilitate research utilising archaeological core data
where this has an international dimension.
Shortly after the working group was established, the European
Plan for Archaeology was launched under the aegis of the Council
of Europe’s Cultural Heritage Committee. The launch of the
Plan, in April 1993, followed the signing of the revised European
Convention on the Protection of the Archaeological Heritage
at Valletta (Council of Europe, 1992) in January 1992, and
was in accordance with Resolution 1 of the third Conference
of Ministers responsible for the Cultural Heritage. One of
the four main elements of the European Plan for Archaeology
was a programme focusing on inventory and documentation techniques
and standards with regard to the archaeological heritage.
An important part of this programme was the preparation of
a core data standard for records of archaeological sites and
monuments, intended to complement the Council’s Core Data
Index to Historic Buildings and Monuments of the Architectural
Heritage. When the Council of Europe working party became
aware that the CIDOC working group was already preparing an
archaeological data standard modelled on the Core Data Index,
it decided that the most practical course of action was to
adopt the CIDOC data standard as the basis of its own standard,
subject to minor adjustments reflecting the narrower geographical
focus of the Council of Europe.
In developing the standard, the working group recognised the
importance of reaching a wide audience and involving archaeologists
in as many countries as possible. From a small committee representing
Canada, Denmark, France, Romania, and the UK, the group has
expanded to include members from Albania, Brazil, Israel,
Kenya, Madagascar, Poland, the Russian Federation, and the
USA. There are also corresponding members in Germany, Jamaica,
Latvia, the Netherlands, Norway, South Africa, and Zambia.
From the outset, the group undertook to ensure that its work
was carried out in collaboration with other interested bodies,
and there has been liaison with a number of organisations,
including the Council of Europe, ICOMOS, the Getty Information
Institute, and other CIDOC working groups. A questionnaire
survey was undertaken to identify the contents of the standard.
One hundred and nine responses were received from 35 countries,
from organisations representing 177 individual inventories.
The International Core Data Standard for Archaeological Sites
and Monuments of the Architectural Heritage has retained a
close relationship with the Core Data Index to Historic Buildings
and Monuments of the Architectural Heritage in order that
countries wishing to include all information relating to the
man-made environment on one database can do so. Moreover,
the standard can be linked with other standards for movable
objects, including the CIDOC standard for archaeological objects
(1992), CIDOC’s International Guidelines for Museum Object
Information (1995), and Object ID (1997).
The standard was published in draft form in 1995 and circulated
widely to heritage organisations. In September of that year
it was discussed at a colloquy in Oxford organised by the
Council of Europe and the Royal Commission on the Historical
Monuments of England. The delegates to the meeting recommended
that the standard be approved as part of the Council’s European
Plan for Archaeology.
The Core Data Standard has been designed to make it possible
to record the minimum categories of information required to
make a reasonable assessment of a monument or site, whether
for planning, management, academic, or other purposes. In
addition, it makes it possible to provide references to further
information held in databases, documentation centres, and
elsewhere that may be necessary for the detailed understanding
and care of individual monuments or sites or categories of
monument or site. It is also envisaged that the standard will:
- Provide a model that can be used as a framework by organisations
wishing to establish new recording systems,
- Encourage consistency in the recording of archaeological
sites and monuments,
- Function as an exchange format for the sharing of data
- Form the basis of collaborative projects.
The authors of the standard recognise that different organisations
record archaeological information for different purposes and
to varying degrees of detail. For this reason, a number of
sections, sub-sections, and fields are optional rather than
mandatory, thereby allowing different organisations to record
at a level appropriate to their aims and resources. The standard
is intended for use in conjunction with the data model selected
for the national or regional database. The data model will,
in most cases, require modification to reflect the requirements
of the organisation. |
top | previous | next
contents | foreword | introduction | standards | appendix | bibliography |
|
