Take the Right Decision Everybody

Abstract

The archaeological deposits in medieval towns are among the most important and distinctive heritage monuments in Norway. At the same time they are among the more challenging phenomena confronting heritage management authorities, municipal planners, and property owners/developers alike, especially in relation to building and infrastructure projects. The modern settlement has developed on top of medieval and younger deposits which means that not only are they an irreplaceable depository of historical information, but they also form a significant part of the modern town’s physical foundation.

Since 2002 the Directorate for Cultural Heritage in Norway (Riksantikvaren) has been funding systematic monitoring of archaeological deposits of the World Heritage Site Bryggen in Bergen. The monitoring programme consists of several approaches: archaeological assessment of the deposits state of preservation, biochemical investigation of preservation conditions within the deposits, hydrogeological mapping of the water table, water flow, and other given parameters.

Continuous systematic monitoring by using testable, replicable methods and measures, data, and results acquire increased quality and validity. These in turn provide the cultural heritage management with a toolbox for making correct decisions and thereby allow the government’s preservation targets to be attained. But, most important, it guarantees the preservation of the ‘underground archives’ and at the same time allows the urban centres to develop.

This paper presents the knowledge developed through monitoring the Bryggen site as a basis for an official Norwegian standard covering archaeological, biochemical, and hydrogeological deposit investigations.

Keywords:

• cultural heritage
• urban landscape
• archaeological deposits
• state of preservation
• environmental monitoring
• standardization

All the results, the manual, the standard, and the competency were only made possible by the overwhelming engagement of the researchers involved in the monitoring activity and by the leadership of Ann Christensson. Riksantikvaren wants to thank the following researchers and their institutions: Rory Dunlop (NIKU, Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research); Henning Matthiesen (National Museum of Denmark); Hans de Beer (Geological Survey of Norway); Jann Atle Jensen (Multiconsult AS); and Bioforsk (Norwegian Institute for Agricultural and Environmental Research).

Notes

1 <www.environment.no>. Goals and indicators <http://www.environment.no/Goals-and-indicators/>.

2 For information about the monitoring results for Bryggen in Bergen, please contact the authors for a literature overview.

3 Norsk Standard, Cultural Property, Requirements on environmental monitoring and investigation of cultural deposits, NS 9451:2009, available in English by winter 2011 on Riksantikvarens website <www.ra.no>.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Anke Loska

Anke Loska, MA, is Senior Adviser at Riksantikvaren, section for Research and Development, responsible for initiation and administration of environmental monitoring programs for cultural heritage sites, monuments, and environments.

Correspondence to: Anke Loska, Riksantikvaren, PO Box 8196, N-0034 Oslo, Norway. Email: [email protected]

Ann Christensson

Ann Christensson is Senior Adviser at Riksantikvaren, section for archaeology, and project leader for the environmental monitoring programme at Bryggen in Bergen.

Correspondence to: Ann Christensson. Email: [email protected]