Glossary

Antiquities Archaeological objects from ancient cultures, e. g., stone tools, pottery vessels, metal objects, and items of personal adornment.

Architectural conservation The process through which the material, historical, and design integrity of mankind’s built heritage are prolonged through carefully planned interventions.

Cultural heritage (‘‘national heritage’’ or ‘‘heritage’’) The legacy of physical artifacts and intangible attributes of a group or society that are inherited from past generations, maintained in the present and bestowed for the benefit of future generations.

Indigenous peoples Cultural groups (and their descendants) who have a historical continuity or association with a given region, or parts of a region, and who formerly or currently inhabit the region. They maintain, at least in part, their distinct linguistic, cultural and social and organizational characteristics, and in doing so remain differentiated in some degree from the surrounding populations and dominant culture of the nation-state.

Salvage archaeology (sometimes called ‘‘preventive’’ or ‘‘rescue’’ archaeology) Archaeological survey and excavation carried out in areas threatened by, or revealed by, construction or other development, such as the building of a dam to flood an area where sites of interest might exist; or even before the onset of war. Unlike traditional survey and excavation, salvage archaeology must be undertaken at speed.