3 October. The fourth regional course on archaeological conservation for Southeast Europe began on 1 October at the Butrint National Park, in Albania. The course is jointly organized by the Butrint National Park, The Butrint Foundation and ICCROM, with the generous support from Directorate General of Development Co-operation, Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and UNESCO-BRESCE.

The course objective is to improve the understanding of the methods and techniques available for specific diagnosis of stone and related materials within archaeological sites, and the elements required to propose conservation treatments, based on ethical and practical considerations.

Eleven conservation professionals from the region are taking the course, during which they will work closely with five course assistants, all of whom took part in the previous regional courses on archaeological conservation for Southeast Europe.

This four-week theoretical and practical course is being held at the Butrint National Park, a World Heritage Site. Throughout the course, the participants will get to know the site better, and work on specific case-studies, which will include both structural and decorative elements within the site.

This first week is devoted to an overview of the conservation and management systems in place in Albania, and the specific situation of the Butrint National Park. The discussions will compare to the situations faced by participants in their home countries. The second part of the week will focus on a review of the nature and characteristics of building materials.

Member States represented: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Georgia and Serbia

updated on: 21 December, 2007