ABSTRACT
The idea that archaeological resources, like other substantial assets, require active management has received wider recognition during the past 20 years. Management of archaeological sites therefore requires a policy developed in awareness of conservation philosophy and of the technical measures needed to implement that policy. Regional courses have many of the features of the international courses. The participants come from different countries, but they have the advantage that all have a similar cultural, and sometimes linguistic, background. This reduces problems of adaptation to a different environment, both cultural and climatic. The extremely varied professional and cultural backgrounds of the trainees underlines an essential objective of the course, the establishment of a common terminology for describing conservation practice. The Codes of Ethics adopted by different national associations of conservators reveal a core of ethical principles common to conservation worldwide. Conservators have therefore moved on to make a concerted attempt to find a definition of their work that is internationally acceptable.
