Editorial

Roadmap

I found it in my pocket/it was a roadmap

I had no idea where it would lead me

but I prowled along its pathways just the same

with all kinds of nostalgia in my hand

it was an atlas of the heart/a reminder

of what I’ve accomplished and what awaits me

on the ground I saw tracks that were my own

so it had to be a path already traveled

the open seas of other days were gone

everything was stronger and surer

suddenly there I stood on the banks

of the river I had always dreamed I’d find

only then did I offer myself a word of caution

I put the roadmap back into my pocket

and there it stayed awaiting

another tomorrow

— Mario Benedetti

As archaeologists, scientists, heritage, and conservation professionals we tend to like new pathways and have a special appreciation for roadmaps and all that lies beyond. We have a need, without nostalgia, to see lives that have come before and allow them to breathe again, often reclaiming their value in contemporary society in new and unexpected ways.

That said, in this, the first issue of 2017, and my first as editor-in-chief we explore mainly rocks. Wilhelm et al. examine and monitor the effects of climate on the decay of limestone at a site in southern Anatolia. Ivanović-Šekularac et al. follow with a study on protective structures and their effectiveness against – again – weather on the Mt Athos peninsula. Sabri takes a step back and looks at the ways in which Ottoman architecture was assessed and managed during the British colonial period in Cyprus. Finally, Gao qualifies the value of rock art and tourism to local communities in southern China.

I am proud that this issue continues the tradition begun by Nicholas Stanley-Price and Tim Williams of inclusivity and diversity in types of research and geographic regions represented by the authors and the locales of the sites. The papers in this issue, indeed every issue of CMAS present real-time examples of how ‘archaeological heritage management is no longer the exclusive preserve of the conservator, but is now perceived by many to be an ethical concern for any practising archaeologist’ (Williams 2016). Multidisciplinary teams, exemplified in the Wilhelm et al. paper prove how integral collaboration between professionals is to our understanding and implementation of sustainable management methods. It is an honour to be a catalyst for the research going on throughout the world and I look forward to reading your contributions and to seeing how such research changes over time.

As Tim Williams heads down a new path, we at the CMAS team wish to express our respect and gratitude to him for his indomitable spirit, ability to make lemonade from a bowl of dust, and for his passion for archaeology and its role in society. We are so pleased to add him to the editorial board. A very heartfelt cheers Tim!!