You are cordially invited to a lecture:
Encouraging Community Based Cultural Landscape Management Using the Rock Art Stability Index:
A Case Study in Wadi Rum, Jordan
Kaelin Groom, PhD
Arizona State University
Abstract
Encouraging Community Based Cultural Landscape Management Using the Rock Art Stability Index: A Case Study in Wadi Rum, Jordan
Kaelin Groom, PhD
Arizona State University
Cultural heritage management involves the blending of science, history, art, architecture, and policy. Hence, an understanding of rock art and its decay is fundamental to its conservation and protection. In historically important and environmentally sensitive sites like Wadi Rum, rock art and ancient inscriptions are especially susceptible to human interaction and induced deterioration. So, new non-invasive techniques in rock art assessment (RASI, CSSI) provide a baseline study from which these important epigraphic and artistic petroglyphs may be identified and analyzed for trends in polygenetic deterioration processes. RASI assessments incorporate multiple aspects including condition, substrate, vulnerability, and external/internal influences. This talk discusses an on-going project working with local community members in Wadi Rum—with the help of a USAID-funded grant—implementing these innovative techniques to assess and manage Wadi Rum's rock art. The goal of this project is to create a much-needed baseline for the art and architecture for effective management but also engage the community with their cultural heritage. This application of new techniques and technologies will help Wadi Rum's irreplaceable rock art and inscriptions endure increased tourism, human contact, climate change, and time.
