Multi- and inter- disciplinary approaches in the scientific documentation and monitoring of cultural heritage assets

Abstract

This paper synthesizes several aspects of the trends of the multi- and inter-disciplinary strategies regarding both research and applications in the scientific documentation and conservation status monitoring of cultural heritage assets such as museum items, monuments, archaeological sites or even larger cultural landscapes, using modern technology. A comprehensive understanding of all physico-chemical, natural, social, and historical factors that had or still have damaging effects on the cultural heritage assets is necessary and requires a different approach to the hyper-specialization mindset that tends to take over the academic disciplines. All these factors are interrelated and cannot be separated nor can a preventive conservation strategy be successfully implemented by considering just one aspect of the problem. Along this line this paper presents our own solutions and their evolution during time. Multi-disciplinary projects in collaboration with research groups coming from different disciplines (natural studies or social and humanities areas) will be discussed. E-learning courses for joint groups of students coming from different disciplines will also be described together with online platforms with customized databases for the management and dissemination of the scientific data resulted from the project activities.