FW: [EuroArch] Institute of Archaeology, Prague

[Nagypál László]

Arvizi konyvtarpusztitas hire es jajkialtas Pragabol:

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Alastair Millar [mailto:alastair at iol.cz]
> Sent: Thursday, August 22, 2002 6:03 PM
> To: ARCH-L List; Britarch List; Europeanarchaeology at yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [EuroArch] Institute of Archaeology, Prague - further details
>
> Dear colleagues,
>
> I was able to visit the Institute of Archaeology in Prague yesterday,
and
> must say that what I saw was far worse than I had imagined. All (and I
do
> mean all) of the staff are presently engaged in salvaging what they
can
> from the wreckage manually.
>
> The entire ground floor of the Institute was submerged under 3m of
water -
> for those that know the building, the water line runs just below the
line
> of the ceiling vaults in the entrance... The ground floor housed
storage
> space, the conservation department, part of the physical anthropology
> department and the post room, amongst other things.
>
> In terms of actual damage:
> * Of the 70,000 works in the Institute library stack, it is estimated
that
> only 600 have survived. The card index, although waterlogged, has
survived,
> and it is planned to scan surviving cards into a digital format before
they
> disintegrate.
> * Damage to collections stored at the Institute is difficult at this
stage
> to quantify. It will be extensive. Moreover, a great deal of
unprocessed
> finds material has lost its context (and even site) information - the
> consequences of which I am sure we all understand only to clearly.
> * The physical anthropology department alone, which was engaged in DNA
> work, has lost equipment to the value of some 600,000 Crowns (20,000
> USD/EUR), including a laminate box and hepafilter.
> * Despite initial misgivings, it seems that the Institute's
photographic
> archives have for the most part survived intact, albeit that some
negatives
> will require cleaning. I have had enquiries off-list asking for Martin
> Gojda's private e-mail address, but Martin tells me that he never uses
one
> and asks those wishing to contact him to be patient and wait for the
> Institute's own e-mail to be back in service.
> * The Institute's geophysical survey equipment has also survived,
having
> been removed in time. Roman Krivanek can be contacted at home on
> krivanci at volny.cz (this is also the home mail address for Dana
> Adelsbergerova-Krivankova).
> * It is estimated that physical repairs to the Institute building
itself
> will cost over 2 Million Crowns (over 65,000 USD/EUR).
> * One telephone line into the building is apparently now
(intermittently)
> working, but frankly I would not recommend that anyone call. The
building
> is still without power.
>
> Note for comparative purposes: the average monthly wage in the Czech
Rep.
> is around 10,000 Crowns (340 USD/EUR).
>
> Many people have asked me what they can do to help, and I would like
to
> thank them for their concern - I shall continue to collate all such
e-mails
> that I receive and pass them on to the Institute in due course.
>
> In terms of the specific help which is DESPERATELY needed:
>
> * The Institute has frozen many works so that they can be conserved
later.
> The Institute is in dire need of somewhere to store these (at present
they
> are reliant on the generosity of frozen foods companies etc. - a
generosity
> which cannot be expected to last forever).
> * SUBSTANTIAL assistance will be required in the conservation and
treatment
> of printed volumes, site plans and documentation - the Institute is
(by
> both law and practice) the hub of archaeological work in Bohemia, and
site
> plans in particular are utterly irreplaceable. Assistance in the form
of
> technical aid, materials, expertise and no doubt manpower would all be
> appreciated.
> * As the leading archaeological research institution in the Czech
Republic,
> the loss of the library is a cruel blow. Clearly we would like to see
the
> library recreated, and to that end donations of books, reference
material,
> runs of periodicals etc. in future would be much appreciated.
> * Obviously, the Institute would also welcome financial contributions
- it
> is unlikely in the extreme that the state and/or Academy and the
insurance
> companies will be able to fund all of the repairs, replacements,
removals
> and conservation necessary.
>
> Those able and willing to offer specific assistance should contact the
> Institute's deputy director, Natasha Venclova on her mobile phone
number:
> +420.724.039243. (In view of her workload at present, PLEASE do not
call
> simply to offer sympathy at this stage).
>
> Roman Grabolle and Raimund Karl have already kindly pointed out that
the
> first pictures from the Institute are online at:
> http://www.archaeologie-online.de/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?post=12396
> (Diskussionsforum: Archäologie in der Diskussion: Aktuelle Themen:
Aufruf:
> Hilfe für das Prager Archäologische Institut!).
>
> This e-mail has been circulated to the ARCH-L, EuropeanArchaeology and
> Britarch mailing lists: please feel free to forward it to other lists
or
> individuals to whom it may be of interest.
>
> Alastair
>
> ---------------------------
> Alastair Millar, BSc(Hons)
> Consultancy and translation for the heritage industry
> Hornicka 1736, CZ 413 01 Roudnice, Czech Rep.
> alastair at iol.cz / millar at iol.cz / alastairmillar at yahoo.co.uk
>
>
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