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Monuments reflect the
image of the civilization and describe its evolution during the
centuries. Ancient
temples, columns, metopes and statues, keep unalterable the
elements that make us heirs and participants of the ancient
spirit and meditation. They combine harmony with magnificence,
beauty with measure, values which became the corner stone of the
ancient Greek art and technique.
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The necessity of
protection and restoration of monuments is a matter of prime
importance, equivalent to the need for maintenance of the notion
of harmony and measure. Engineering geological phenomena like
settlement and slope movement as well as earthquakes and
tectonic activity contribute to the damage of the historical
buildings and the archaeological site. The ground water activity
is also an important factor, especially in cases where monuments
are buried in the soil or they are founded on steep slopes.
Finally, the weathering of building stones is necessary to faced
in relation their mineralogy in order their protection to be
accurate.
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The conservation of
the monuments is attached to the preservation of the substance
and the existence of the human consciousness. Beyond all
frontiers that separate countries, the monuments awake our will,
guiding us to maintain the ancient spirit, proved to be
diachronic. Their restoration represents the respect towards the
human creativity and inventiveness, which is orientated to great
ideals. Moreover, the confrontation with time and high art is an
interesting challenge for the restorers who will have to combine
art with efficiency and sense of responsibility towards younger
generations. Monuments, with proper restoration, can become a
very attractive way of educating students and getting them to
love their history and honor their past.
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Sharing the common
ideas of a global community, monuments become the beginning of
collaboration between many observers and scientists of different
specializations. Thus, scientific methods are applied in
peaceful projects, so much needed in the modern world, where
renowned scientists with diverse beliefs contribute in a mutual
debate for the common good.
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As monuments reflect
the ingenuity and resourcefulness of past great civilizations
that were the example for the evolution and prosperity of modern
civilizations, restoring and giving them to public is not only
respect and honor towards them but also respect towards the
human nature itself.
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In this framework, the
IAEG Commission 16 “Engineering Geology and Protection of
Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites”, collects
data on the engineering geological conditions of the monuments
referred to the cultural heritage list of UNESCO because,
as the Greek Nobelist poet “Georges Seferis” wrote “the
statues are no longer ruins, they are us”.
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For this purpose, a
specific form is available for completion.
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