Abstract
Preventive conservation requires monitoring and control of the parameters involved in the deterioration process, mainly temperature and relative humidity. It is important to characterise an archaeological site prior to carrying out comparative studies in the future for preventive conservation, either by regular studies to verify whether the conditions are constant, or occasional ones when the boundary conditions are altered. There are numerous covered archaeological sites, but few preventive conservation works that give special attention to the type of cover installed. In particular, there is no background of microclimatic studies in sites that are in the ground and, as in the Plaza de l’Almoina (Valencia, Spain), are buried and partially covered by a transparent roof. A large effect of the transparent cover was found by the sensors located below this area, with substantial increases in temperature and a decrease in the relative humidity during the day. Surrounding zones also have values above the recommended temperature values. On the other hand, the influence of a buried water drainage line near the site is notable, causing an increase in relative humidity levels in the surrounding areas. Multivariate statistical analyses enabled us to characterise the microclimate of the archaeological site, allowing future testing to determine whether the conservation conditions have been altered.
Highlights
Preventive conservation of archaeological sites is understood as the whole control process of the deterioration factors in order to prevent damage to the cultural heritage before it occurs and minimise future interventions [1].The conservation of an archaeological site is influenced by the thermo-hygrometric features of the environment in which it is located, which may lead to material disintegrations and biological problems, etc
It is important to characterise an archaeological site with a view to carrying out comparative studies in the future for its preventive conservation, either regularly, in order to verify whether the conditions are constant, or occasionally, when the boundary conditions are altered
Characterising an archaeological site is of great importance, with the aim, on one hand, of carrying out comparative studies in the future when implementing changes in climate control systems or in the architectural design, and on the other hand, to study any future deterioration of the archaeological site, which may be related with microclimate conditions
Summary
Preventive conservation of archaeological sites is understood as the whole control process of the deterioration factors in order to prevent damage to the cultural heritage before it occurs and minimise future interventions [1].The conservation of an archaeological site is influenced by the thermo-hygrometric features of the environment in which it is located, which may lead to material disintegrations and biological problems, etc. It is important to characterise an archaeological site with a view to carrying out comparative studies in the future for its preventive conservation, either regularly, in order to verify whether the conditions are constant, or occasionally, when the boundary conditions are altered. It is important after any change in the environment to first ascertain if the resulting microclimate is suitable according to the experience of other researchers and standards, and, secondly, if deterioration in the site occurs, to know the microclimate that has led to this phenomenon. The control of these parameters has been studied in churches [3,4,5] and museums [6,7,8,9]
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