Neo-Assyrian Cuneiform Tablet K.8538 Series: Library of Ashurbanipal, part of a circular clay tablet with depictions of a celestial planisphere. Asset number 325946001 © The Trustees of the British Museum
The Department of Heritage and Archaeology (DHA) organizes activities and initiatives in favor of the protection and promotion of archaeological heritage all over the world, in time of both peace and war. The department recognizes as its well-founded principles that movable and immovable archaeological heritage is not only an essential element for the knowledge of past civilizations, but also, and above all, a fundamental element in the construction of the identity of modern societies as well as a component of growth, cohesion and cultural exchange.
Spiral minaret of the Great Mosque of Samarra, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Samarra, Iraq, Middle East © Alamy Stock, Image ID: 2G8G0EH;
The DHA aims primarily at identifying both national and international areas of interest and to keep said territories monitored. The Department will be present in the areas of interest through both national and international archaeological missions carried out in loco, and also through remote monitoring. The collected data will be made available through annual publication of comprehensive reports and targeted scientific publications.
The Department also aims to develop and implement training activities with the realization of Summer/Winter Schools and advanced courses in collaboration with Italian and international universities. The DHA’s key objectives include the dissemination of its research and activities together with raising public awareness of such findings. In order to develop this, a cycle of seminars and dissemination activities will be carried out in the territories collaborating with local institutions.
The need to integrate teaching with protection, promotion and enhancement of tangible and intangible cultural heritage and natural heritage in schools of all levels will be brought forward by the DHA with the implementation of targeted educational activities to be held in schools, museums and sites of interest as well as with the creation and dissemination of more accessible materials and media, such as videos, books and games.
