TEHRAN – A national conference on the use of modern science and technology in salvage archeology for major water and energy infrastructure projects was held in Tehran on Saturday.
The event, titled “Prospects for the application of modern science and technology in salvage archaeological excavations of water and energy infrastructure projects”, was held at the headquarters of Iran Water and Power Resources Development Company.
Several stakeholders and experts spoke at the opening session, including Mohammad Rabari, advisor to the company’s CEO. Ebrahim Zarei, Director of the Institute of Cultural Heritage and Tourism. Masoumeh Mosalla, Director of the Iranian Archaeological Research Center. and Farzad Mafi and Mohammadreza Nemati, scientific secretaries of the conference.
Experts also discussed how new technologies are being used in salvage archeology to protect cultural heritage sites at risk from large-scale development. A presentation by Fereidun Biglari, head of the Palaeolithic Department at the National Museum of Iran, and Sonia Sidran, faculty member at Shahid Beheshti University, reviewed recent research at the Darian Dam in Hauraman. They provided an overview of the surveys and excavations carried out in the Dalian Dam reservoir area from late 2015 to late 2016. It said more than 70 archaeological sites have been identified, including caves, rock grottoes, open-air ruins, cemeteries, rock art, and fortifications, with material culture ranging from the Middle Paleolithic to the Late Islamic period. Before the reservoir was filled, five archaeological teams excavated 16 major sites.
Additionally, the conference emphasized the role of digital documentation in record sites likely to be flooded, and the appropriate use of photogrammetry and laser scanning to create 3D models of vulnerable locations. One example is the Dalai Rock Shelter, where a Middle Paleolithic hearth was recorded by laser scanning to preserve its spatial features.
The experts also explained the engineering measures used to protect the site at the site. In Kenache Cave, which contained deep layered deposits from the Upper Paleolithic and Upper Paleolithic periods, archaeologists installed a multilayer protection system of geotextiles, sand, gravel, and gabions to protect the deposits from water pressure and erosion.
The creation of national standards for digital documentation, the establishment of a unified database for salvage archaeological projects, and expanded training on digital and engineering preservation methods were among the provisions considered during the meeting.
Additionally, the conference considered geophysical methods for salvage excavations, the potential use of artificial intelligence in archaeological analysis, and the application of remote sensing to identify the boundaries of ancient sites. The session ended with an overview of the presentation and the reading of the final statement.
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