Problems of preservation of prehistoric cultural heritage objects in the Arctic

Abstract

Problems of preservation and research of prehistoric cultural heritage objects in the Arctic are reviewed in the article. To determine the priority tasks in the field of preserving the heritage of this region, the most probable risks of physical loss and loss of quality of objects associated with natural and anthropogenic factors are analyzed. A special feature of the Arctic is its increased sensitivity to anthropogenic influence and climate change. Therefore, in the context of global warming, the risks of losing the cultural wealth of a region and a planet increase substantially. An important role in the preservation of heritage sites can be played by measures to ensure conservation status, involvement in tourism and recreation development projects. One of the aspects of the conservation problem is that the cultural heritage objects of the Arctic region are still poorly understood as a valuable resource of information about nature and society. New methods developed by the authors of the article allow us to consider prehistoric heritage sites as functional elements of the ancient life support system and the modern geocultural space. The use of these methods allows us to zone the territory with the allocation of sustainable areas, which have been performing environmental and informational social functions for thousands of years. It is on these sites that ancient heritage objects are located. Correctly holding the boundaries of prehistoric cultural heritage objects (in the natural boundaries of natural systems) allows us to save information about the functional relationships in the socio-natural system. The article shows that the application of the methodology and research methods developed by the authors of the article will significantly reduce the risks of losing cultural heritage in the Arctic and other regions

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“…The concept was confirmed and developed in studies of rock carvings of the labyrinths located in the Caucasus. The navigational concept is consistent with the characteristics of earlier objects -the location of natural/man-made zoo-and anthropomorphic sculptures on ancient routes and the orientation of megalithic complexes [3,4,5].…”

Climate-driven losses to knowledge systems and cultural heritage: A literature review exploring the impacts on Indigenous and local cultures

“…sea-level rise, erosion, permafrost thaw) and other human impacts (e.g. development, extractive industries) (Amand et al, 2020;Anderson et al, 2017;Blankholm, 2009;Bourgeois et al, 2007;Hilton 2018;Hollesen et al, 2016Hollesen et al, , 2017Hollesen et al, , 2018Marsadolov et al, 2019). Archaeological sites are important for many reasons.…”

“…Archaeological sites are important for many reasons. For example, they can be used as proxy records for accurately reconstructing past environments (Amand et al, 2020), for understanding historical social and cultural relations (Andrews et al, 2016; Hollesen et al, 2016; Marsadolov et al, 2019), and they are part of the rich tapestry of cultures’ history and continuity, identity, knowledge and sense of place (Carmichael et al, 2018; Fotoric and Seekamp, 2017, 2019; Hollesen et al, 2018). Anderson et al (2017) suggested that a one metre rise in sea level will result in the loss of >13,000 recorded archaeological sites in the south-eastern part of the United States of America (USA) alone.…”

Identifying Main Driving Forces Affecting Urban Sprawl in the Vicinity of Cultural Heritage Sites in Egypt

“…These driving forces are critical in determining the rate, amount, and direction of growth. Similar research in other developing countries, [30,32,33,34] yielded an initial tentative list of 11 driving forces forming US and LULC change.…”